POLITICIANS OF ALL SHADES MUST UNITE TO STOP MASS MURDERERS
Politicians, of all shades, must unite to stop mass murderers
THE market town of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, was shrouded in a deathly silence yesterday in the aftermath of the worst atrocity inflicted on a community in Northern Ireland.
The slaughter of at least 28 people, including nine children, was a barbaric and evil act by the so-called Real IRA in a mindless attempt to undermine the peace process.
What it has done is to reinforce the determination of the Irish and British governments to ensure the democratic will of the people of Northern Ireland, and in the Republic, to look forward to a future of peace, will ultimately prevail. It is vital that calm and commonsense should prevail in Northern Ireland and that the constitutional parties committed to making the peace process work eschew any inclination towards party political recriminations.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has vowed that the Government is determined not to allow the few dozen republican dissidents to thwart the peace process. His promise to "ruthlessly suppress" them will engage 100% of public support, because these mass murderers and their devastating campaign will have to be eliminated.
The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is equally adamant that this comparatively small group of terrorists, will not succeed in over-riding the democratic wishes of the people. He met with the Taoiseach in Belfast last evening to review security and to consider tighter arrangements and the removal of the dissidents from the equation.
Both leaders, in the run-up to the referendum and the Assembly elections in the North, served notice on those who declared their intention to wreck the peace process that the resources of both governments would be employed relentlessly to prevent that happening.
After the savagery perpetrated on the people of Omagh, the unconscionable decimation of so many innocent people and destruction of property, both administrations must now deliver on that promise.
Yesterday, Mr Ahern met with the Garda Commissioner and other security chiefs to review measures already employed against the Real IRA and to consider other options.
Although it has not been ruled out entirely, the Taoiseach said the re-introduction of internment was not one of those options. More effective measures may be resorted to through the provisions of the Offences Against the State Act.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, in an unprecedented move, condemned the Omagh atrocity without any equivocation. His party colleague, Martin McGuinness, in whose constituency it happened, described it as an "indefensible action" as he appealed for the peace process to be allowed to continue.
For Ken Maginnis, of the Ulster Unionists, to aver that the security forces in the south had not acted against the dissident republicans, while said in anger after the appalling blast, is not correct. The gardai have successfully thwarted a series of operations because of the quality of the intelligence they had gathered about the group. Most recently, they were instrumental in helping Scotland Yard prevent a bombing in the centre of London.
Obviously, there will be even more intensified cooperation between the security forces on both sides of the border to eliminate the dissidents' capacity to inflict evil on innocent communities on this island and in Britain.
It is that continued level of security co-operation which will help bring this "posse of serial killers," as President Mary McAleese described them, to heel.
Politically, their avowed ambition to wreck the peace process can be effectively stopped by a levelheaded approach by those charged by the majority of the people of Northern Ireland through their election to the Assembly.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
THE market town of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, was shrouded in a deathly silence yesterday in the aftermath of the worst atrocity inflicted on a community in Northern Ireland.
The slaughter of at least 28 people, including nine children, was a barbaric and evil act by the so-called Real IRA in a mindless attempt to undermine the peace process.
What it has done is to reinforce the determination of the Irish and British governments to ensure the democratic will of the people of Northern Ireland, and in the Republic, to look forward to a future of peace, will ultimately prevail. It is vital that calm and commonsense should prevail in Northern Ireland and that the constitutional parties committed to making the peace process work eschew any inclination towards party political recriminations.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has vowed that the Government is determined not to allow the few dozen republican dissidents to thwart the peace process. His promise to "ruthlessly suppress" them will engage 100% of public support, because these mass murderers and their devastating campaign will have to be eliminated.
The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is equally adamant that this comparatively small group of terrorists, will not succeed in over-riding the democratic wishes of the people. He met with the Taoiseach in Belfast last evening to review security and to consider tighter arrangements and the removal of the dissidents from the equation.
Both leaders, in the run-up to the referendum and the Assembly elections in the North, served notice on those who declared their intention to wreck the peace process that the resources of both governments would be employed relentlessly to prevent that happening.
After the savagery perpetrated on the people of Omagh, the unconscionable decimation of so many innocent people and destruction of property, both administrations must now deliver on that promise.
Yesterday, Mr Ahern met with the Garda Commissioner and other security chiefs to review measures already employed against the Real IRA and to consider other options.
Although it has not been ruled out entirely, the Taoiseach said the re-introduction of internment was not one of those options. More effective measures may be resorted to through the provisions of the Offences Against the State Act.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, in an unprecedented move, condemned the Omagh atrocity without any equivocation. His party colleague, Martin McGuinness, in whose constituency it happened, described it as an "indefensible action" as he appealed for the peace process to be allowed to continue.
For Ken Maginnis, of the Ulster Unionists, to aver that the security forces in the south had not acted against the dissident republicans, while said in anger after the appalling blast, is not correct. The gardai have successfully thwarted a series of operations because of the quality of the intelligence they had gathered about the group. Most recently, they were instrumental in helping Scotland Yard prevent a bombing in the centre of London.
Obviously, there will be even more intensified cooperation between the security forces on both sides of the border to eliminate the dissidents' capacity to inflict evil on innocent communities on this island and in Britain.
It is that continued level of security co-operation which will help bring this "posse of serial killers," as President Mary McAleese described them, to heel.
Politically, their avowed ambition to wreck the peace process can be effectively stopped by a levelheaded approach by those charged by the majority of the people of Northern Ireland through their election to the Assembly.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
Further Information
Publisher: THE EXAMINER
Ref: TEX/032
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
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