Robinson: Irish Republic has no right to demand anything of the UK on legacy
Gavin Robinson said he was 'genuinely perplexed' by Mr Harris's claim that the Irish government was 'negotiating' on legacy with its counterparts in Westminster.
Mr Robinson, accusing the Republic of 'a callous quest to protect their own failings' on the past, said the Irish government had no right to demand anything of the UK.
The Tanaiste visited Northern Ireland on Thursday for the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) at Hillsborough Castle, Co Down.
Secretary of State Hilary Benn and Mr Harris led the Anglo-Irish meeting, which focused mostly on legacy issues.
Afterwards, Mr Harris said both governments are working in "very good faith" to bring about an agreed position.
He said: 'We are in the middle of a negotiation and a discussion, so I don't want to go through each issue, other than to say I think a lot of progress has been made on a lot of issues.'
He said the two governments will know whether they can reach an agreement on legacy issues "within weeks'
Mr Benn agreed that their discussions had been "productive", adding that the governments have "moved closer together" on an agreed position.
However, Mr Robinson criticised Mr Harris's comments.
"I was genuinely perplexed when I watched the press conference following the BIIGC on Thursday. Hilary Benn stood mute whilst Simon Harris indicated he was negotiating legacy with 'the British',' he said.
'With such an abysmal record of their own, the Republic has no right to demand anything of the UK.
'They continue their callous quest to protect their own failings, whilst seeking to challenge our Government. In doing so, they assist in a morally corrupt rewriting of the past.'
In his weekly email to DUP members, Mr Robinson said he had visited Omagh this week, where a Real IRA car bomb killed 29 people in 1998, including a woman pregnant with twins.
Earlier this month the Irish government announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which allows a public inquiry into the atrocity to access material it holds.
However, Mr Robinson has said Dublin should establish a parallel inquiry in its own jurisdiction.
He said this month's agreement 'does not allow for a thorough examination of the actions, or inactions, of the security services in the Republic of Ireland'.
He added: 'The fact that the Omagh bomb was planned, assembled and transported from across the border underscores the need for scrutiny of the role played, or missed, by authorities in the Republic.'
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