REACTION TO THE OMAGH BOMB OUTRAGE
REACTION to the Omagh bomb outrage:
US President Bill Clinton: "I renew my pledge to stand with the people of Northern Ireland, against the
perpetrators of violence; they will find no friends here "On behalf of the American people, I condemn this butchery."
The Queen: "I was shocked to hear of the appalling crime in Omagh which resulted in so many deaths and injuries. Please pass my heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved, injured and those others who have suffered in their distress."
Tony Blair: "This is an appalling act of savagery and evil by people who are detmined, whatever the cost to innocent people, to wreck the
prospects for peace in Northern Ireland. We will pursue them to the utmost in order to bring them to justice for this terrible deed. These people will never be allowed to win. It is impossible to contemplate, to get in the mind of anyone who could do this. This is a terrible, terrible event. I simply weep for those people who have died."
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern: "This is the most evil deed in years. This is a tragic day and a very serious bombing offensive."
RUC Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan: "We have had men, women and children slaughtered here this afternoon, slaughtered by murderers who have nothing else to offer. "Our thoughts go out to the people who have been injured. It's hard to come to any other conclusion other than bloody murder was their intent."
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott: "You cannothelp but feel utter contemptfor such a cowardly act which is really against the expressed democratic will of the Northern Ireland people who want peace."
Conservative leader William Hague: "This is an act of unspeakable barbarity which was designed to murderand injure innocent people."
SDLP leader John Hume: "It is clear that the people who carried out this terrible deed today are not only appalling murderers, they are undiluted fascists. They are clearly attempting to impose their will on the people of Ireland as a whole, against the will of people of Ireland. This tiny minority are seeking to impose their views by murder and bombing, that is undiluted fascism
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams: "I am totally horrified by this action. I condemn it without any equivocation whatsoever."
Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon: "The people of Omagh have had a terrible, terrible price to pay for the sheer atavism and barbarity of the people who carried this out. What I say to those people is they will not succeed and they will not win because we will not allow them to do so."
Sinn Fein's Mid-Ulster MP Martin McGuinness: "This appalling act was carried out by those opposed to the peace process. It is designed to wreck the process and everyone should work to ensure the peace process con tinues. I call on whatever group was responsible to stop immediately. Those responsible are aligning themselves with the forces opposed to a democratic settlement of the conflict here."
Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown: "It is vital for all those who have died, not just in this atrocity but over the last quarter century,
that they don't succeed in plunging Ireland back into blood."
John Major: "I hope no one will defend this action and everyone - republican and unionist - will work together to ensure that the perpetrators
are caught speedily and punished. I urge others not to respond."
Ulster Unionist security spokesman Ken Maginnis: "This is a dreadful crime against humanity."
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service's Paul McCormick: "If I had to sum up the feeling here, it's a combination of shock, anger and despair that once again we have been steeped in this blood and carnage."
Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble: "Sinn Fein cannot escape its responsibility in this bloody atrocity."
Eyewitness Dorothy Boyle (59), from the town: "I've never seen anything like it in my life. I saw bodies lying everywhere, dead people being zipped into bags."
DUP leader Ian Paisley: "I have as much respect for the British Government as I have for the IRA. They both of them have played this game of telling people we can win this by concession after concession after concession. What we have got is more bombings, more killings and we have got an atrocity worse than any other atrocity we have ever had."
Church of Ireland minister Canon John Hay: "We cannot understand why anybody would do the like of this.
To say the bomb was in one end of town and to put it in another end where people were being brought, that is totally un-understandable and as far as I am concerned there are some people who are still tainted with sin."
US President Bill Clinton: "I renew my pledge to stand with the people of Northern Ireland, against the
perpetrators of violence; they will find no friends here "On behalf of the American people, I condemn this butchery."
The Queen: "I was shocked to hear of the appalling crime in Omagh which resulted in so many deaths and injuries. Please pass my heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved, injured and those others who have suffered in their distress."
Tony Blair: "This is an appalling act of savagery and evil by people who are detmined, whatever the cost to innocent people, to wreck the
prospects for peace in Northern Ireland. We will pursue them to the utmost in order to bring them to justice for this terrible deed. These people will never be allowed to win. It is impossible to contemplate, to get in the mind of anyone who could do this. This is a terrible, terrible event. I simply weep for those people who have died."
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern: "This is the most evil deed in years. This is a tragic day and a very serious bombing offensive."
RUC Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan: "We have had men, women and children slaughtered here this afternoon, slaughtered by murderers who have nothing else to offer. "Our thoughts go out to the people who have been injured. It's hard to come to any other conclusion other than bloody murder was their intent."
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott: "You cannothelp but feel utter contemptfor such a cowardly act which is really against the expressed democratic will of the Northern Ireland people who want peace."
Conservative leader William Hague: "This is an act of unspeakable barbarity which was designed to murderand injure innocent people."
SDLP leader John Hume: "It is clear that the people who carried out this terrible deed today are not only appalling murderers, they are undiluted fascists. They are clearly attempting to impose their will on the people of Ireland as a whole, against the will of people of Ireland. This tiny minority are seeking to impose their views by murder and bombing, that is undiluted fascism
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams: "I am totally horrified by this action. I condemn it without any equivocation whatsoever."
Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon: "The people of Omagh have had a terrible, terrible price to pay for the sheer atavism and barbarity of the people who carried this out. What I say to those people is they will not succeed and they will not win because we will not allow them to do so."
Sinn Fein's Mid-Ulster MP Martin McGuinness: "This appalling act was carried out by those opposed to the peace process. It is designed to wreck the process and everyone should work to ensure the peace process con tinues. I call on whatever group was responsible to stop immediately. Those responsible are aligning themselves with the forces opposed to a democratic settlement of the conflict here."
Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown: "It is vital for all those who have died, not just in this atrocity but over the last quarter century,
that they don't succeed in plunging Ireland back into blood."
John Major: "I hope no one will defend this action and everyone - republican and unionist - will work together to ensure that the perpetrators
are caught speedily and punished. I urge others not to respond."
Ulster Unionist security spokesman Ken Maginnis: "This is a dreadful crime against humanity."
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service's Paul McCormick: "If I had to sum up the feeling here, it's a combination of shock, anger and despair that once again we have been steeped in this blood and carnage."
Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble: "Sinn Fein cannot escape its responsibility in this bloody atrocity."
Eyewitness Dorothy Boyle (59), from the town: "I've never seen anything like it in my life. I saw bodies lying everywhere, dead people being zipped into bags."
DUP leader Ian Paisley: "I have as much respect for the British Government as I have for the IRA. They both of them have played this game of telling people we can win this by concession after concession after concession. What we have got is more bombings, more killings and we have got an atrocity worse than any other atrocity we have ever had."
Church of Ireland minister Canon John Hay: "We cannot understand why anybody would do the like of this.
To say the bomb was in one end of town and to put it in another end where people were being brought, that is totally un-understandable and as far as I am concerned there are some people who are still tainted with sin."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0019
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
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