AHERN'S FINAL WARNING FOR CONTINUITY IRA
Ahern's final warning for Continuity IRA
By Michael O'Toole
Dublin Correspondent
TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday warned the Continuity IRA, the only dissident group in Ireland not on ceasefire, to state their position immediately or face the full rigours of the law.
Mr Ahern was speaking after the Real IRA or Oglaigh na hEireann, the group which killed 29 people in the Omagh bomb atrocity, announced a "complete cessation" of violence.
Mr Ahern said that intelligence reports had satisfied him that the Real IRA ceasefire was genuine.
And he warned there would be no let up in the hunt for the Omagh bombers,
The Real IRA announced their ceasefire in a coded call to RTE at 11.50pm on Monday night - the cessation came into effect 10 minutes later.
The taoiseach said he was worried that several former CIRA members who defected to the Real IRA earlier this year, would drift back to the organisation after the ceasefire announcement.
Mr Ahern said: "My information earlier on in the year was that a number of hardline militant republicans who had been connected to Continuity drifted to the Real IRA.
"My concern would be that they would drift back.
"That means there is an obligation for the Continuity IRA to make absolutely clear, or those political associated with them to state what their position is.
"We really need to know that otherwise we have to put the full rigours of the existing and the recently passed legislation on them fairly immediately."
Last night Republican Sinn Fein, believed by many to be the political wing of the CIRA, refused to call on that group to announce a ceasefire.
A spokesman said: 'We have no connection to that group.
"We have no military wing and we are not calling on any other group to do anything - we speak for ourselves."
The CIRA told yesterday's Irish Times that their struggle continued.
By Michael O'Toole
Dublin Correspondent
TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday warned the Continuity IRA, the only dissident group in Ireland not on ceasefire, to state their position immediately or face the full rigours of the law.
Mr Ahern was speaking after the Real IRA or Oglaigh na hEireann, the group which killed 29 people in the Omagh bomb atrocity, announced a "complete cessation" of violence.
Mr Ahern said that intelligence reports had satisfied him that the Real IRA ceasefire was genuine.
And he warned there would be no let up in the hunt for the Omagh bombers,
The Real IRA announced their ceasefire in a coded call to RTE at 11.50pm on Monday night - the cessation came into effect 10 minutes later.
The taoiseach said he was worried that several former CIRA members who defected to the Real IRA earlier this year, would drift back to the organisation after the ceasefire announcement.
Mr Ahern said: "My information earlier on in the year was that a number of hardline militant republicans who had been connected to Continuity drifted to the Real IRA.
"My concern would be that they would drift back.
"That means there is an obligation for the Continuity IRA to make absolutely clear, or those political associated with them to state what their position is.
"We really need to know that otherwise we have to put the full rigours of the existing and the recently passed legislation on them fairly immediately."
Last night Republican Sinn Fein, believed by many to be the political wing of the CIRA, refused to call on that group to announce a ceasefire.
A spokesman said: 'We have no connection to that group.
"We have no military wing and we are not calling on any other group to do anything - we speak for ourselves."
The CIRA told yesterday's Irish Times that their struggle continued.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0370
Published Date: 09-Sep-98
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