MOVE TO HAVE FILES ON OMAGH RELEASED
Move to have files on Omagh released
By Senan Hoyan
A FORUM of politicians is to call on the British Government to release secret files on the Real IRA suspects behind the Omagh bombing.
Nobody has been convicted for the 1998 attack, the biggest atrocity of the Northern Ireland's Troubles, which killed 29 people.
The issue will be raised by more than a dozen cross-party members of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (BIIPB) including Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay and Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes.
Mr Mackinlay will table a motion at the meeting calling on the British Government "to disclose immediately to the legal counsel of the families of the victims of the Omagh bombing, details of and all information relating to and arising from, the request made by the RUC to Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), for surveillance of those subsequently suspected of preparing and carrying out the atrocity in Omagh a decade ago, including transcripts and timelines".
Memorial events were held in Omagh in August to mark the 10th anniversary of the attack.
The BIIPB is convening for its two-day meeting in Newcastle on Monday.
British and Irish parliamentarians will also examine proposals to remember the past with an address from Lord Eames and Mr Denis Bradley, co-chairs of the Consultative Group on the Past.
The agenda also includes a briefing by Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward on recent political developments in Northern Ireland and his assessment of the future. The body will be attended for the first time by an Ulster Unionist delegation led by Lord Maginnis, a former MP, and Stormont MLA David McClarty.
By Senan Hoyan
A FORUM of politicians is to call on the British Government to release secret files on the Real IRA suspects behind the Omagh bombing.
Nobody has been convicted for the 1998 attack, the biggest atrocity of the Northern Ireland's Troubles, which killed 29 people.
The issue will be raised by more than a dozen cross-party members of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (BIIPB) including Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay and Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes.
Mr Mackinlay will table a motion at the meeting calling on the British Government "to disclose immediately to the legal counsel of the families of the victims of the Omagh bombing, details of and all information relating to and arising from, the request made by the RUC to Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), for surveillance of those subsequently suspected of preparing and carrying out the atrocity in Omagh a decade ago, including transcripts and timelines".
Memorial events were held in Omagh in August to mark the 10th anniversary of the attack.
The BIIPB is convening for its two-day meeting in Newcastle on Monday.
British and Irish parliamentarians will also examine proposals to remember the past with an address from Lord Eames and Mr Denis Bradley, co-chairs of the Consultative Group on the Past.
The agenda also includes a briefing by Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward on recent political developments in Northern Ireland and his assessment of the future. The body will be attended for the first time by an Ulster Unionist delegation led by Lord Maginnis, a former MP, and Stormont MLA David McClarty.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/1120
Published Date: 18-Oct-08
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