OMAGH BOMBING RELATIVES TAKE STORY TO STORMONT
Omagh bombing relatives take story to Stormont
BY ALAN MURRAY
newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
RELATIVES of the victims of the Omagh bombing are bringing their story to Stormont.
They want to tell MLAs the full story of the devastating attack nearly 10 years ago and the history of failures by the authorities on both sides of the border to catch the bombers.
And Strangford MLA David McNarry is preparing to sponsor the event in Stormont's impressive Long Gallery, some time after Easter.
The Unionist MLA said he felt that the Omagh story needed to be heard by political representatives from all the parties represented in the Assembly so politicians can grasp the complexities of the case and figure out how to help the families.
"I will be pleased to sponsor a presentation by the families in the Long Gallery and work out details with Michael Gallagher so we can facilitate this event at the seat of our government," the MLA said.
"The Assembly has never had the opportunity to debate this terrible atrocity in full and before we seriously consider transferring policing and justice powers to the Assembly we need to work out how this most important issue can be properly dealt with.
"The families deserve proper closure on how their loved ones died and before we move on to take charge of policing and justice we need to establish how we can achieve closure for these grieving families.
"The Omagh bombing is a dark cloud that continues to hang over us all. It is a massive issue with ordinary members of the public and there are very important matters unresolved and answers and remedies still not available to the relatives."
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed along with 28 others in the 1998 attack, said he was delighted with Mr McNarry's sponsorship of the presentation.
BY ALAN MURRAY
newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
RELATIVES of the victims of the Omagh bombing are bringing their story to Stormont.
They want to tell MLAs the full story of the devastating attack nearly 10 years ago and the history of failures by the authorities on both sides of the border to catch the bombers.
And Strangford MLA David McNarry is preparing to sponsor the event in Stormont's impressive Long Gallery, some time after Easter.
The Unionist MLA said he felt that the Omagh story needed to be heard by political representatives from all the parties represented in the Assembly so politicians can grasp the complexities of the case and figure out how to help the families.
"I will be pleased to sponsor a presentation by the families in the Long Gallery and work out details with Michael Gallagher so we can facilitate this event at the seat of our government," the MLA said.
"The Assembly has never had the opportunity to debate this terrible atrocity in full and before we seriously consider transferring policing and justice powers to the Assembly we need to work out how this most important issue can be properly dealt with.
"The families deserve proper closure on how their loved ones died and before we move on to take charge of policing and justice we need to establish how we can achieve closure for these grieving families.
"The Omagh bombing is a dark cloud that continues to hang over us all. It is a massive issue with ordinary members of the public and there are very important matters unresolved and answers and remedies still not available to the relatives."
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed along with 28 others in the 1998 attack, said he was delighted with Mr McNarry's sponsorship of the presentation.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/1065
Published Date: 12-Feb-08
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