IN/0612

Father of Omagh victim meets 32 County party

THE father of a 12-year-old schoolboy killed in the Omagh bombing yesterday confirmed that he had face-to-face talks with the political wing of the Real IRA.
Victor Barker, whose son James was one of 29 people killed by the Real IRA in August 1998, said he met members of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement in Swords, Co Dublin, last December in a bid to persuade them to abandon violence.
After the leaking of information about the secret meeting, Mr Barker said he did not regret the talks but understood the surprise of some families of Omagh victims on learning about the discussions.
He insisted yesterday that he would meet them again.
"By meeting the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, I was not in any way legitimising the Real IRA's campaign," Mr Barker said.
"I went there to help them understand what they did to James and other victims and to urge them to choose a path away from violence. We gave an undertaking on both sides that the meeting would remain confidential, although I am not naive enough to think that it would never, ever come to light."
Mr Barker said he had initiated the meeting, which took place on the same day as he met Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Dublin.
"Everybody in situations like Omagh reacts in different ways and chooses their own way of dealing with the grief,"' he said.
"This is a path that I chose to pursue."
Mr Barker said the 32 County Sovereignty Movement had not pursued further dialogue with him.
"I gave them the opportunity to continue the discussion but that has never been pursued," he said.
Mr Barker is not the only relative of a Troubles victim who has met people linked to the killing of their loved one.
Meanwhile, the creators of last year's award-winning Bloody Sunday film are reported to be making a movie about the Omagh atrocity.
The new £3 million film will feature allegations that the RUC received a tip-off about the bomb days before it claimed the lives of 29 people.
The RTE and Irish Film Board-sponsored film will also dramatise the row between former chief constable Ronnie Flanagan and police ombudsman Nuala O'Loan.
The story is believed to focus on Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Adrian was killed in the August 1998 blast.