PM WON'T SEND IN SAS
PM 'won't send in the SAS'
THE PRIME Minister has rejected the idea of sending in the SAS to "take out" known members of the Real IRA.
Tony Blair says both the British and Irish governments are determined to give the security forces the best legal framework in which to hunt down the terrorists. But he insisted the Government must only use democratic methods.
"Yes, the group behind this bombing is small in number and the names of many are known to us," he writes in an article for today's Observer.
"In a world dominated by terror, yes, we could, to use the parlance, 'take them out'."
But he stresses: "Ours is a country built on values of democracy. We are winning the argument, which is why more and more people are opting for peace. "And we must win the battle on the security front, through democratic means, which is why there has been such unprecedented cooperation between London and Dublin, why we are bringing in the toughest anti-terrorist laws right across the island of Ireland, and why whatever is required will be done."
THE PRIME Minister has rejected the idea of sending in the SAS to "take out" known members of the Real IRA.
Tony Blair says both the British and Irish governments are determined to give the security forces the best legal framework in which to hunt down the terrorists. But he insisted the Government must only use democratic methods.
"Yes, the group behind this bombing is small in number and the names of many are known to us," he writes in an article for today's Observer.
"In a world dominated by terror, yes, we could, to use the parlance, 'take them out'."
But he stresses: "Ours is a country built on values of democracy. We are winning the argument, which is why more and more people are opting for peace. "And we must win the battle on the security front, through democratic means, which is why there has been such unprecedented cooperation between London and Dublin, why we are bringing in the toughest anti-terrorist laws right across the island of Ireland, and why whatever is required will be done."
Further Information
Publisher: SUNDAY LIFE
Ref: SL/031
Published Date: 23-Aug-98
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