IRISH/UK BODY URGES OMAGH FILES RELEASE
Irish/UK body urges Omagh files release
BY SARAH STACK
newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
A CROSS-PARTY group of parliamentarians from Ireland and the UK will today put pressure on the British Government to hand over sensitive files gathered about the Omagh bombing.
The British-Irish Inter Parliamentary Body will debate an emergency motion calling for transcripts of phone conversations that may involve the bomb suspects to be made available.
The bombing was the worst atrocity of the Troubles, killing 29 people.
Hundreds more were injured when the Real IRA bombed the Co Tyrone town on a busy Saturday afternoon in August 1998.
Although nobody has been convicted for the attack, families of some of the victims have taken a landmark civil case against five men they believe responsible.
Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes and British Labour party MP Andrew Mackinlay want revelations by BBC's Panorama - which claimed phone calls between the suspects were recorded by GCHQ on the day of the attack - discussed at the meeting in Newcastle.
The pair believe the motion, in the name of 15 cross-party members of the body, will put pressure on the British Government to disclose the contents of surveillance gathered more than 10 years ago.
Deputy Hayes said: "The current civil action provides an opportunity for intercept material to be made known to the court so that a verdict can be made based on all evidence in this case."
BY SARAH STACK
newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
A CROSS-PARTY group of parliamentarians from Ireland and the UK will today put pressure on the British Government to hand over sensitive files gathered about the Omagh bombing.
The British-Irish Inter Parliamentary Body will debate an emergency motion calling for transcripts of phone conversations that may involve the bomb suspects to be made available.
The bombing was the worst atrocity of the Troubles, killing 29 people.
Hundreds more were injured when the Real IRA bombed the Co Tyrone town on a busy Saturday afternoon in August 1998.
Although nobody has been convicted for the attack, families of some of the victims have taken a landmark civil case against five men they believe responsible.
Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes and British Labour party MP Andrew Mackinlay want revelations by BBC's Panorama - which claimed phone calls between the suspects were recorded by GCHQ on the day of the attack - discussed at the meeting in Newcastle.
The pair believe the motion, in the name of 15 cross-party members of the body, will put pressure on the British Government to disclose the contents of surveillance gathered more than 10 years ago.
Deputy Hayes said: "The current civil action provides an opportunity for intercept material to be made known to the court so that a verdict can be made based on all evidence in this case."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/1122
Published Date: 20-Oct-08
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