ADAMS CALLS ON LEADERS TO OWN UP TO BOMBING
Adams calls on leaders to own up to bombing
By Brendan Anderson
THE leadership of the group which carried out the Omagh bombing should have the courage to claim responsibility for the outrage, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said yesterday.
Mr Adams, accompanied by senior party colleagues Martin McGuinness and Jim Gibney, was speaking shortly after arriving in Omagh to meet relatives of the dead, dying and injured at an emergency incident centre at Omagh Leisure Centre.
The republican leader had broken off his holiday on the west coast to travel to the scene of the bombing.
"It is now time to show solidarity with the families of the bereaved, of the injured, of the people of this town and the people of County Tyrone," he said.
He said the "great expectations which people have in their hearts" should not be allowed to be shattered by what had happened in the town.
"All of us who have been involved in initiating the peace process realised, and said many times, there were always going to be huge difficulties. I don't want to minimise for one moment the awfulness of what has happened here. The number of people killed here, the number of people injured here, is absolutely appalling.
"At a human level we need to appreciate that. At a political level, we need to be keeping building, keeping moving forward, not losing hope."
The bombers, he said, must reflect on the enormity of what their actions.
"We are saying they should stop and stop now. Whoever was involved should have the courage to admit they were responsible."
Mr Adams rounded on an English television journalist who suggested that many people believed the Sinn Fein president had the power to call a halt to the actions of dissident republican groups.
"Who are you speaking about? I don't want, on a day like this, with respect to you flying into my country to a background of what is happening, reducing this in any way to being within the gift of any one person or even within the gift of one political party.
"It is Mr Blair's responsibility, it's the Taoiseach's responsibility, it's mine, of course, and the other political leaders' responsibility to help the people of Omagh recover from this awful hurt which has been inflicted upon them."
By Brendan Anderson
THE leadership of the group which carried out the Omagh bombing should have the courage to claim responsibility for the outrage, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said yesterday.
Mr Adams, accompanied by senior party colleagues Martin McGuinness and Jim Gibney, was speaking shortly after arriving in Omagh to meet relatives of the dead, dying and injured at an emergency incident centre at Omagh Leisure Centre.
The republican leader had broken off his holiday on the west coast to travel to the scene of the bombing.
"It is now time to show solidarity with the families of the bereaved, of the injured, of the people of this town and the people of County Tyrone," he said.
He said the "great expectations which people have in their hearts" should not be allowed to be shattered by what had happened in the town.
"All of us who have been involved in initiating the peace process realised, and said many times, there were always going to be huge difficulties. I don't want to minimise for one moment the awfulness of what has happened here. The number of people killed here, the number of people injured here, is absolutely appalling.
"At a human level we need to appreciate that. At a political level, we need to be keeping building, keeping moving forward, not losing hope."
The bombers, he said, must reflect on the enormity of what their actions.
"We are saying they should stop and stop now. Whoever was involved should have the courage to admit they were responsible."
Mr Adams rounded on an English television journalist who suggested that many people believed the Sinn Fein president had the power to call a halt to the actions of dissident republican groups.
"Who are you speaking about? I don't want, on a day like this, with respect to you flying into my country to a background of what is happening, reducing this in any way to being within the gift of any one person or even within the gift of one political party.
"It is Mr Blair's responsibility, it's the Taoiseach's responsibility, it's mine, of course, and the other political leaders' responsibility to help the people of Omagh recover from this awful hurt which has been inflicted upon them."
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0028
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
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