NOT ENOUGH HAS BEEN DONE TO HELP THE OMAGH FAMILIES
Not enough has been done' to help the Omagh families
By Sarah Stack PA
CROSS-PARTY group of parliamentarians from Ireland and Britain will put pressure on the British government today 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 telephone conversations that may involve the bomb suspects to be made available.
The bombing was the worst atrocity during the conflict in the north, killing 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
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 of the terrorist attack, families of some of the victims have taken a landmark civil case against five men they believe were responsible for the blast.
Irish Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes and British Labour party MP Andrew McKinley want revelations contained in a recent Panorama programme -which claimed telephone calls between the suspects were recorded by the Government Communications Headquarters (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.
Mr Hayes, who represents Dublin South West, said the Omagh victims have waited too long for justice.
"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," Mr Hayes said.
"While the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has established a review under Sir Peter Gibson on the performance of the intelligence community at the time of the RUC investigation, the immediate issue that requires political and legal accountability is the civil action before the courts.
"Not enough has been done to help the families of Omagh over these last ten years.
"Given the terrible loss of life at Omagh and the cross-border nature of the crime that occurred, the British government must cooperate in releasing the Omagh tapes."
The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body is to call on the British government to immediately disclose to the legal counsel of the families of the victims of Omagh details of - and all information relating to and arising from - the request made by the RUC to GCHQ for surveillance of those subsequently suspected of preparing and carrying out the atrocity in Omagh a decade ago. This is to include transcripts and timelines.
Named on the family's �14 million lawsuit are Michael McKevitt, the alleged leader of the Real IRA, the man said to be his number two, Liam Campbell, and Colm Murphy, Seamus McKenna and Seamus Daly.
All deny any involvement.
Mr Hayes said time was of the essence as the civil action being brought by the families will shortly be brought to a close.
"New evidence can still be admitted," he said.
"It is crucial that all information, documents and transcripts from the surveillance at the time leading up to and after the Omagh bombing be given to the family's legal team."
Set up after the Good Friday Agreement in 1990, the body is made up of politicians from Westminster, the Dail and Seanad, Northern Ireland Assembly, Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
By Sarah Stack PA
CROSS-PARTY group of parliamentarians from Ireland and Britain will put pressure on the British government today 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 telephone conversations that may involve the bomb suspects to be made available.
The bombing was the worst atrocity during the conflict in the north, killing 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
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 of the terrorist attack, families of some of the victims have taken a landmark civil case against five men they believe were responsible for the blast.
Irish Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes and British Labour party MP Andrew McKinley want revelations contained in a recent Panorama programme -which claimed telephone calls between the suspects were recorded by the Government Communications Headquarters (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.
Mr Hayes, who represents Dublin South West, said the Omagh victims have waited too long for justice.
"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," Mr Hayes said.
"While the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has established a review under Sir Peter Gibson on the performance of the intelligence community at the time of the RUC investigation, the immediate issue that requires political and legal accountability is the civil action before the courts.
"Not enough has been done to help the families of Omagh over these last ten years.
"Given the terrible loss of life at Omagh and the cross-border nature of the crime that occurred, the British government must cooperate in releasing the Omagh tapes."
The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body is to call on the British government to immediately disclose to the legal counsel of the families of the victims of Omagh details of - and all information relating to and arising from - the request made by the RUC to GCHQ for surveillance of those subsequently suspected of preparing and carrying out the atrocity in Omagh a decade ago. This is to include transcripts and timelines.
Named on the family's �14 million lawsuit are Michael McKevitt, the alleged leader of the Real IRA, the man said to be his number two, Liam Campbell, and Colm Murphy, Seamus McKenna and Seamus Daly.
All deny any involvement.
Mr Hayes said time was of the essence as the civil action being brought by the families will shortly be brought to a close.
"New evidence can still be admitted," he said.
"It is crucial that all information, documents and transcripts from the surveillance at the time leading up to and after the Omagh bombing be given to the family's legal team."
Set up after the Good Friday Agreement in 1990, the body is made up of politicians from Westminster, the Dail and Seanad, Northern Ireland Assembly, Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0973
Published Date: 20-Oct-08
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