BLAIR'S PROMISES HOLLOW SAY OMAGH BOMB BEREAVED
Blair's promises 'hollow'say Omagh bomb bereaved
TONY Blair's assurances that the Omagh bombers would be brought to justice and the so-called Real IRA disbanded, have proved "hollow", victims' relatives have claimed .
Mr. Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian, was among the 29 people killed in the atrocity, said: "Like the families of the Lockerbie victims, we want justice, for without justice, there can be no peace."
Mr.Gallagher and Victor Barker, whose son James also died, held a vigil at Downing Street, when the Prime Minister met with the Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
They were having new talks as efforts intensified in London, Belfast and Dublin, to agree a deal to end the deadlock on decommissioning, policing and demilitarisation, which is threatening the future of the Northern Ireland peace process.
The Deputy First Minister at Stormont, Seamus Mallon, cut short a trip to Europe to return to Belfast amid claims that the sides are edging towards some sort of settlement.
Claimed
But some of the Omagh relatives claimed that the two governments had put expediency before justice.
One man charged in connection with the August 1998 bombing is to stand trial in Dublin later this year, after the case was postponed three times. Some relatives are taking private legal action.
But public and private assurances by Mr. Blair and Mr. Ahern that the perpetrators would be brought to justice and the dissident terror group disbanded had proved hollow, according to the relatives.
TONY Blair's assurances that the Omagh bombers would be brought to justice and the so-called Real IRA disbanded, have proved "hollow", victims' relatives have claimed .
Mr. Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian, was among the 29 people killed in the atrocity, said: "Like the families of the Lockerbie victims, we want justice, for without justice, there can be no peace."
Mr.Gallagher and Victor Barker, whose son James also died, held a vigil at Downing Street, when the Prime Minister met with the Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
They were having new talks as efforts intensified in London, Belfast and Dublin, to agree a deal to end the deadlock on decommissioning, policing and demilitarisation, which is threatening the future of the Northern Ireland peace process.
The Deputy First Minister at Stormont, Seamus Mallon, cut short a trip to Europe to return to Belfast amid claims that the sides are edging towards some sort of settlement.
Claimed
But some of the Omagh relatives claimed that the two governments had put expediency before justice.
One man charged in connection with the August 1998 bombing is to stand trial in Dublin later this year, after the case was postponed three times. Some relatives are taking private legal action.
But public and private assurances by Mr. Blair and Mr. Ahern that the perpetrators would be brought to justice and the dissident terror group disbanded had proved hollow, according to the relatives.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0849
Published Date: 08-Feb-01
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