Statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen T.D.

I condemn, without reservation, the dreadful murder of a Catholic Postal worker at Rathcoole. The killing and the death threats against other workers, including teachers, represent a direct and vicious assault on civilized society and democratic values. It cannot, and will not, be allowed to succeed. It also represents a return to the brutality and futility of the past - a past which we hoped was consigned to the darker pages of history. I call on all those with influence in the community to use that influence to calm the situation.

I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family of the victim at this terrible time.

I have raised the murder with the British authorities this morning through the British Irish Secretariat in BelfastTop