WHAT DO THEY WANT WITH ME
What do they want with me?'
SINN Fein president Gerry Adams yesterday refused to confirm if he would appear in court if called in the civil action brought by the families of the victims of the Omagh bombing.
Mr Adams, whose name appears on a writ drawn up by solicitors acting for the families, said he would consult his own lawyer before deciding how to respond.
He said: "I certainly have no intention of doing anything other than what my solicitor would instruct me to do."
Mr Adams said he did not know why anyone would want him to give evidence. "Sometimes those who advised victims cast a very wide net, and one wonders why on earth they would want me in court," he added.
But Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was killed in the bomb, said he believed Mr Adams and the leadership of Sinn Fein would have first-hand knowledge of the dissidents who split from the Provos to form the Real IRA.
"The reason why he was on the writ was because he would be in a position to give details of how and when the break-up came," he said.
"This was a man who, in the past, has called for justice for many causes, and I find it difficult to understand why he would be selective when it came to Omagh."
Asked if he would want to see those responsible for the bombing brought to justice, Mr Adams said: "I have made it very clear that, in terms of all of this, families have the right to truth and the right to closure.
"Some of the people behind the campaign have actually at times attacked Sinn Fein, which is most unfair.
"We, from the first moment of news of the Omagh bombing, came out in opposition to what had happened."
But Mr Gallagher said that Sinn Fein had repeatedly refused to call on people to support the investigation into the bombing by the PSNI and Garda.
"Coming up to the fifth anniversary (of the bomb), I would urge him once again to call on people who have any knowledge to come forward and share it with the investigation, either north or south," he added.
SINN Fein president Gerry Adams yesterday refused to confirm if he would appear in court if called in the civil action brought by the families of the victims of the Omagh bombing.
Mr Adams, whose name appears on a writ drawn up by solicitors acting for the families, said he would consult his own lawyer before deciding how to respond.
He said: "I certainly have no intention of doing anything other than what my solicitor would instruct me to do."
Mr Adams said he did not know why anyone would want him to give evidence. "Sometimes those who advised victims cast a very wide net, and one wonders why on earth they would want me in court," he added.
But Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was killed in the bomb, said he believed Mr Adams and the leadership of Sinn Fein would have first-hand knowledge of the dissidents who split from the Provos to form the Real IRA.
"The reason why he was on the writ was because he would be in a position to give details of how and when the break-up came," he said.
"This was a man who, in the past, has called for justice for many causes, and I find it difficult to understand why he would be selective when it came to Omagh."
Asked if he would want to see those responsible for the bombing brought to justice, Mr Adams said: "I have made it very clear that, in terms of all of this, families have the right to truth and the right to closure.
"Some of the people behind the campaign have actually at times attacked Sinn Fein, which is most unfair.
"We, from the first moment of news of the Omagh bombing, came out in opposition to what had happened."
But Mr Gallagher said that Sinn Fein had repeatedly refused to call on people to support the investigation into the bombing by the PSNI and Garda.
"Coming up to the fifth anniversary (of the bomb), I would urge him once again to call on people who have any knowledge to come forward and share it with the investigation, either north or south," he added.
Further Information
Publisher: SUNDAY LIFE
Ref: SL/155
Published Date: 10-Aug-03
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