REPUBLIC COULD USE INTERNMENT
Republic could use internment
By Jim Fitzpatrick
The Irish government has refused to rule out the possibility of reintroducing internment, in the wake of the Omagh bombing.
"We will consider whatever we must do," Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said last night.
Before meeting Prime Minister Tony Blair, he said:"We have to make sure we work closely with the Garda, with the Royal Ulster Constabulary, with the policing authorities and, between the two governments, to make sure we do every single thing we can to make sure the people involved in this are crushed."
The power to intern was removed from the statute books in Northern Ireland last year, but could be reinstated. Tony Blair's spokesman would not be drawn on the matter yesterday.
Republican sources said internment could back-fire and give the small number of renegade republicans a rallying cause. Even police sources were cool on the idea, and suggested such sweeping powers may not be necessary.
RUC chief constable Ronnie Flanagan - who will meet his counterpart in the Republic, Garda Commissioner Pat Byrnes, today to discuss the response to the Omagh bombing -said the current focus of the investigation was aimed at the "Real IRA".
But he said it was too soon to "be absolutely precise" in blaming that group for the bombing.
"We're liaising very closely with our colleagues in the Garda Siochana. I'm meeting the Commissioner tomorrow morning. We're going to review our state of intelligence. We're going to review our state of knowledge in relation to these people.
"That, together with the painstaking investigation that's underway. The forensic examination of all the exhibits. The interview of all the witnesses. The interview in due course of the more than 200 people who were injured will undoubtedly lead to results."
Mr Flanagan called for total co-operation from the public in order to bring those responsible to justice.
"What we need more than anything is total public co-operation. This was an attack against society in its entirety. Society in its entirety has an obligation to give us what information it has so that we can bring these people to justice," he said.
But republicans dismissed suggestions that they should give information to the RUC investigating the atrocity.
National chairperson Mitchell McLaughlin said:"I think anyone who has the slightest knowledge about the history of the north will know that that is not an option for republicans and Mr Flanagan himself would know that.
"Clearly what we require is the most comprehensive evidence that all of those in positions of political leadership in this country, both governments, will meet together and act together to demonstrate that there is a political alternative to all of that and convince those few remaining unrepresentative groupings that armed conflict no longer has any role to play in our society."
Former Taoiseach John Bruton called for a coordinated all-Ireland security response and for anyone with information to offer it to police on both sides of the border.
He called on Bertie Ahern to "co-ordinate an all-Ireland security initiative that will make the commission of such outrages impossible".
By Jim Fitzpatrick
The Irish government has refused to rule out the possibility of reintroducing internment, in the wake of the Omagh bombing.
"We will consider whatever we must do," Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said last night.
Before meeting Prime Minister Tony Blair, he said:"We have to make sure we work closely with the Garda, with the Royal Ulster Constabulary, with the policing authorities and, between the two governments, to make sure we do every single thing we can to make sure the people involved in this are crushed."
The power to intern was removed from the statute books in Northern Ireland last year, but could be reinstated. Tony Blair's spokesman would not be drawn on the matter yesterday.
Republican sources said internment could back-fire and give the small number of renegade republicans a rallying cause. Even police sources were cool on the idea, and suggested such sweeping powers may not be necessary.
RUC chief constable Ronnie Flanagan - who will meet his counterpart in the Republic, Garda Commissioner Pat Byrnes, today to discuss the response to the Omagh bombing -said the current focus of the investigation was aimed at the "Real IRA".
But he said it was too soon to "be absolutely precise" in blaming that group for the bombing.
"We're liaising very closely with our colleagues in the Garda Siochana. I'm meeting the Commissioner tomorrow morning. We're going to review our state of intelligence. We're going to review our state of knowledge in relation to these people.
"That, together with the painstaking investigation that's underway. The forensic examination of all the exhibits. The interview of all the witnesses. The interview in due course of the more than 200 people who were injured will undoubtedly lead to results."
Mr Flanagan called for total co-operation from the public in order to bring those responsible to justice.
"What we need more than anything is total public co-operation. This was an attack against society in its entirety. Society in its entirety has an obligation to give us what information it has so that we can bring these people to justice," he said.
But republicans dismissed suggestions that they should give information to the RUC investigating the atrocity.
National chairperson Mitchell McLaughlin said:"I think anyone who has the slightest knowledge about the history of the north will know that that is not an option for republicans and Mr Flanagan himself would know that.
"Clearly what we require is the most comprehensive evidence that all of those in positions of political leadership in this country, both governments, will meet together and act together to demonstrate that there is a political alternative to all of that and convince those few remaining unrepresentative groupings that armed conflict no longer has any role to play in our society."
Former Taoiseach John Bruton called for a coordinated all-Ireland security response and for anyone with information to offer it to police on both sides of the border.
He called on Bertie Ahern to "co-ordinate an all-Ireland security initiative that will make the commission of such outrages impossible".
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0009
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
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