TAOISEACH MEETS FAMILIES OF BOMB VICTIMS
Taoiseach meets families of bomb victims
BY ADRIAN MULLAN
REPRESENTATIVES of between ten and 12 families who suffered bereavement in the Omagh bomb blast met the Taoiseach when he was in Omagh on Thursday last. However, a smaller number of families involved in the Self Help and Support Group opted to decline the meeting with Mr Ahern and saw his counterpart Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in Dublin, instead.
Those who did meet the Taoiseach reported that they found his visit useful. Although not a spokesman for the families involved, Laurence Rush, whose wife Libby was killed in the 1998 blast, raised a number of matters with Mr Ahern. These included the alleged lack of co-operation between the two police forces investigating the atrocity. Mr Rush said he was very pleased with the meeting.
"Although he was not in a position to address all the points raised about the events in Omagh on August 15,1998, I presented him with a file in person and asked if he'd look at it compassionately if not any other way," said Mr Rush.
"It has been over five years since we suffered this and we are just looking for the truth, and for the government of the South to accept its responsibility. I said the gardai along with the RUC were flawed in their investigation of the events leading up to the bombing, and he more or less agreed with that.
"He (the Taoiseach) was saying that they had the finest police investigation team in Britain and Ireland looking into the matter. But they must be lacking in something because it's going on for nearly six years with no result."
Mr Rush said that what actually was happening is that "There are parallel investigations ongoing and he agreed with that. I said, 'You do realise that parallels don't meet,' and this has been what has happened here.
"I pointed out that I had continually written to the investigative team and, on at least 12 occasions, I tried to approach (Justice Minister) Mr McDowell who failed to meet with me under any conditions.
"Mr McDowell is in fact a lawyer and he talks for his money. But as Minister of Justice, we would hope that he would take some action. Talk is not what we want."
Mr Rush said he made it clear that he wasn't happy about the Nally Report into allegations that gardai chose not to act on prior warnings from a police informer that might have prevented the Omagh bombing.
"I said it was a three-man team with no investigative skills, nor had the team anything else going for it. They weren't police and they weren't investigators of any sort."
It was pointed out that Police Ombusdman Nuala O'Loan presented information to various ministers in Dublin as a result of investigations in the North and those ministers were made very aware of her concerns about the situation in the South. Mr Rush said that he was concerned that there would be something of a whitewash for, although five people have been arrested on charges related to republican dissident activities, "still no one had been charged with actually bombing Omagh."
Mr Rush said that after the Taoiseach had made a statement about the excellence of the Garda investigation team, he handed Mr Ahern a dossier, which, said Mr Rush, took the Taoiseach and advisors aback. Mr Rush would not disclose the contents of that dossier.
BY ADRIAN MULLAN
REPRESENTATIVES of between ten and 12 families who suffered bereavement in the Omagh bomb blast met the Taoiseach when he was in Omagh on Thursday last. However, a smaller number of families involved in the Self Help and Support Group opted to decline the meeting with Mr Ahern and saw his counterpart Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in Dublin, instead.
Those who did meet the Taoiseach reported that they found his visit useful. Although not a spokesman for the families involved, Laurence Rush, whose wife Libby was killed in the 1998 blast, raised a number of matters with Mr Ahern. These included the alleged lack of co-operation between the two police forces investigating the atrocity. Mr Rush said he was very pleased with the meeting.
"Although he was not in a position to address all the points raised about the events in Omagh on August 15,1998, I presented him with a file in person and asked if he'd look at it compassionately if not any other way," said Mr Rush.
"It has been over five years since we suffered this and we are just looking for the truth, and for the government of the South to accept its responsibility. I said the gardai along with the RUC were flawed in their investigation of the events leading up to the bombing, and he more or less agreed with that.
"He (the Taoiseach) was saying that they had the finest police investigation team in Britain and Ireland looking into the matter. But they must be lacking in something because it's going on for nearly six years with no result."
Mr Rush said that what actually was happening is that "There are parallel investigations ongoing and he agreed with that. I said, 'You do realise that parallels don't meet,' and this has been what has happened here.
"I pointed out that I had continually written to the investigative team and, on at least 12 occasions, I tried to approach (Justice Minister) Mr McDowell who failed to meet with me under any conditions.
"Mr McDowell is in fact a lawyer and he talks for his money. But as Minister of Justice, we would hope that he would take some action. Talk is not what we want."
Mr Rush said he made it clear that he wasn't happy about the Nally Report into allegations that gardai chose not to act on prior warnings from a police informer that might have prevented the Omagh bombing.
"I said it was a three-man team with no investigative skills, nor had the team anything else going for it. They weren't police and they weren't investigators of any sort."
It was pointed out that Police Ombusdman Nuala O'Loan presented information to various ministers in Dublin as a result of investigations in the North and those ministers were made very aware of her concerns about the situation in the South. Mr Rush said that he was concerned that there would be something of a whitewash for, although five people have been arrested on charges related to republican dissident activities, "still no one had been charged with actually bombing Omagh."
Mr Rush said that after the Taoiseach had made a statement about the excellence of the Garda investigation team, he handed Mr Ahern a dossier, which, said Mr Rush, took the Taoiseach and advisors aback. Mr Rush would not disclose the contents of that dossier.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1635
Published Date: 26-Feb-04
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