THE MINISTER for foreign affairs Michéal Martin says that he is extremely concerned about security in Northern Ireland, and has condemned attacks on police officers, RTÉ reports.

There have been a series of attacks on PSNI officers, particularly Catholic officers, recently – which Martin has blamed on dissident republicans.

On Saturday the Apprentice Boys of Derry marches will take place, as well as a controversial feeder parade in Ardoyne. Martin said that he hoped the events would unfold peacefully.

A claim made by Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, in which he said that the Irish government and the British authorities had been involved in secret talks with dissident republicans was denied by a spokesperson for the minister.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster, McGuinness said:

I encourage dialogue, I think it is important… I do understand the governments will come out and say that this isn’t true, it isn’t happening, and they have all sorts of mechanisms and phrases to use which cover themselves, but the reality is that some of these dissident groups, I know for a fact, have been involved in discussions with both the Irish and the British government in recent times.

However, Northern Secretary Owen Paterson last week denied that such talks were being held:

You cannot have any meaningful talks with people who are not committed to peaceful means… They are not listening. They are disparate. They are a very small armed group with no discipline or clear focus on where they are going.