RELATIVES OF OMAGH DEAD WAITING EIGHT MONTH - CLAIM
Relatives of Omagh dead waiting eight months - claim
RELATIVES and survivors of the Omagh bomb have said they have waited for eight months for a response from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern following a meeting about the investigation last year.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the 1998 atrocity, said on Friday night that the Taoiseach had not yet contacted relatives about the meeting last March.
The families had called after the meeting for a Hutton-type inquiry to investigate the bombing which claimed the lives of 29 people, including unborn twins.
Mr Gallagher said: "We feel that a full cross border public inquiry remains necessary."
An Irish government spokeswoman said that during the March meeting it had been agreed that relatives should liaise with the Department of Justice on legal issues and the Department of Foreign Affairs on non-legal issues.
Mr Gallagher said the relatives were also seeking an immediate meeting with the Republic's Justice Minister, Michael McDowell, after he said this week that a government report on the gardi investigation into the bombing would not be made public in the near future.
The report contains the findings of senior civil servant Dermot Nally on garda handling of intelligence prior to the bombing.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte had called on the minister to publish the document, after a suspended Donegal garda was cleared of corruption charges earlier last week.
Det Sergeant John White from Ballybofey, was acquitted on Tuesday a Letterkenny Circuit Court of three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice and three of making false statements.
The garda had previously claimed that a Real IRA informer alerted him before the 1998 attack about a car which was to be used in a bombing.
He also alleged that he passed the warning on to a senior garda but it was not conveyed to police in Northern Ireland.
RELATIVES and survivors of the Omagh bomb have said they have waited for eight months for a response from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern following a meeting about the investigation last year.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the 1998 atrocity, said on Friday night that the Taoiseach had not yet contacted relatives about the meeting last March.
The families had called after the meeting for a Hutton-type inquiry to investigate the bombing which claimed the lives of 29 people, including unborn twins.
Mr Gallagher said: "We feel that a full cross border public inquiry remains necessary."
An Irish government spokeswoman said that during the March meeting it had been agreed that relatives should liaise with the Department of Justice on legal issues and the Department of Foreign Affairs on non-legal issues.
Mr Gallagher said the relatives were also seeking an immediate meeting with the Republic's Justice Minister, Michael McDowell, after he said this week that a government report on the gardi investigation into the bombing would not be made public in the near future.
The report contains the findings of senior civil servant Dermot Nally on garda handling of intelligence prior to the bombing.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte had called on the minister to publish the document, after a suspended Donegal garda was cleared of corruption charges earlier last week.
Det Sergeant John White from Ballybofey, was acquitted on Tuesday a Letterkenny Circuit Court of three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice and three of making false statements.
The garda had previously claimed that a Real IRA informer alerted him before the 1998 attack about a car which was to be used in a bombing.
He also alleged that he passed the warning on to a senior garda but it was not conveyed to police in Northern Ireland.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1780
Published Date: 27-Jan-05
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