COMMITTEE OF MPs LAY WREATH AT OMAGH BOMB MEMORIAL
Committee of MPs lay wreath at Omagh bomb memorial
BY JOHN McCUSKER
A MEETING between relatives of the Omagh bomb victims and members of the Northern Ireland Affaire Committee has been described as an important step towards securing a public inquiry into the 1998 bombing atrocity.
A total of eight MPs from the NI Affairs Committee met for two hours with members of the Omagh Self Help and Support Group on Friday morning. Prior to the meeting the MPs laid a wreath at the Omagh Memorial Garden in memory of those killed and injured in the car bomb attack.
Speaking afterwards, Michael Gallagher, spokesperson for the Omagh group, said he welcomed the opportunity to bring the committee of MPs up to date with developments.
The former chairperson of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Sir Patrick Cormack, has acknowledged that there are unanswered questions about the Omagh bomb and has expressed his hope that the new committee would address these outstanding issues.
Mr Gallagher said, "I welcomed the opportunity to meet with the committee members as the former committee conducted a report which was very critical of the government's approach. We explored the possibilities of anything further that this current committee could do to further the issues. We also restated our calls for a full cross-border public inquiry into the events around the Omagh bombing."
Last year, the Omagh relatives commissioned a London-based consultancy firm to examine all of the investigations into the Omagh atrocity carried out on both sides of the border. "This report will contain new evidence which will be presented to the British, Irish and Spanish governments," Mr Gallagher explained. "The government is already aware of this and are awaiting the outcome of the report to decide if there should be a public inquiry into Omagh.
"They have been working on this report for three months now. We expected to have it completed by now but when you realise the volume of material and the personalities that had to be interviewed it could now be mid-March before it is completed. However, it is more important to get it right than to rush it through," he said.
"We feel this will be a powerful report to be presented to all governments involved. If the government still reneges on a cross-border public inquiry then we will have to take it to the courts."
BY JOHN McCUSKER
A MEETING between relatives of the Omagh bomb victims and members of the Northern Ireland Affaire Committee has been described as an important step towards securing a public inquiry into the 1998 bombing atrocity.
A total of eight MPs from the NI Affairs Committee met for two hours with members of the Omagh Self Help and Support Group on Friday morning. Prior to the meeting the MPs laid a wreath at the Omagh Memorial Garden in memory of those killed and injured in the car bomb attack.
Speaking afterwards, Michael Gallagher, spokesperson for the Omagh group, said he welcomed the opportunity to bring the committee of MPs up to date with developments.
The former chairperson of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Sir Patrick Cormack, has acknowledged that there are unanswered questions about the Omagh bomb and has expressed his hope that the new committee would address these outstanding issues.
Mr Gallagher said, "I welcomed the opportunity to meet with the committee members as the former committee conducted a report which was very critical of the government's approach. We explored the possibilities of anything further that this current committee could do to further the issues. We also restated our calls for a full cross-border public inquiry into the events around the Omagh bombing."
Last year, the Omagh relatives commissioned a London-based consultancy firm to examine all of the investigations into the Omagh atrocity carried out on both sides of the border. "This report will contain new evidence which will be presented to the British, Irish and Spanish governments," Mr Gallagher explained. "The government is already aware of this and are awaiting the outcome of the report to decide if there should be a public inquiry into Omagh.
"They have been working on this report for three months now. We expected to have it completed by now but when you realise the volume of material and the personalities that had to be interviewed it could now be mid-March before it is completed. However, it is more important to get it right than to rush it through," he said.
"We feel this will be a powerful report to be presented to all governments involved. If the government still reneges on a cross-border public inquiry then we will have to take it to the courts."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE HERALD
Ref: TYH/114
Published Date: 06-Feb-12
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