RESIGNATION GIVES VICTIMS' GROUP NEW HOPE
Resignation gives victims' group new hope
BY ANNE PALMER
a.palmer@newsletter.co.uk
OMAGH justice campaigner Michael Gallagher has said that Bertie Ahern's plans to resign have made him more determined to renew calls for a meeting with the Dublin government. Omagh Self Help and Support Group is pressing for a full cross-border inquiry into the circumstances of the 1998 Real IRA car bomb in Omagh, which claimed the lives of 29 victims.
The victims' group met MLAs on Tuesday to give a presentation about the need for approval for a probe from both governments. They are taking their justice campaign to Parliament and to the Dail in Dublin.
Mr Gallagher told the News Letter: "Bertie Ahern is the last surviving leader of all those who were leaders at the time of the bomb. Tony Blair is gone, Clinton is gone and the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is gone.
"We met Tony Blair before he resigned and I think it would be helpful if we met with Mr Ahern before he resigns."
The Omagh campaigners have had a long-term request for a meeting lodged with his office. In November last year, on a visit to Omagh, Mr Gallagher handed a letter to Mr Ahern asking for a cross-border inquiry
"We will be renewing calls for a meeting," he said.
But Mr Gallagher said the fact that all the familiar faces in government are disappearing has not dented confidence in the quest for an inquiry.
"Now that those people are out of the place, there are new people who are involved and they may feel it is easier to make a decision. It could create a new opportunity or a new era for a more free and more open approach," he said.
BY ANNE PALMER
a.palmer@newsletter.co.uk
OMAGH justice campaigner Michael Gallagher has said that Bertie Ahern's plans to resign have made him more determined to renew calls for a meeting with the Dublin government. Omagh Self Help and Support Group is pressing for a full cross-border inquiry into the circumstances of the 1998 Real IRA car bomb in Omagh, which claimed the lives of 29 victims.
The victims' group met MLAs on Tuesday to give a presentation about the need for approval for a probe from both governments. They are taking their justice campaign to Parliament and to the Dail in Dublin.
Mr Gallagher told the News Letter: "Bertie Ahern is the last surviving leader of all those who were leaders at the time of the bomb. Tony Blair is gone, Clinton is gone and the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is gone.
"We met Tony Blair before he resigned and I think it would be helpful if we met with Mr Ahern before he resigns."
The Omagh campaigners have had a long-term request for a meeting lodged with his office. In November last year, on a visit to Omagh, Mr Gallagher handed a letter to Mr Ahern asking for a cross-border inquiry
"We will be renewing calls for a meeting," he said.
But Mr Gallagher said the fact that all the familiar faces in government are disappearing has not dented confidence in the quest for an inquiry.
"Now that those people are out of the place, there are new people who are involved and they may feel it is easier to make a decision. It could create a new opportunity or a new era for a more free and more open approach," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/738
Published Date: 03-Apr-08
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