BROWN ACCUSED OF OMAGH BOMB COVER UP
Brown accused of Omagh bomb 'cover up'
Families' anger over 'censored' inquiry
BY MICHAEL DEVLIN
m.devlin@ulsterherald.com
BRITISH Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has been accused of a 'cover up' by denying a parliamentary committee access to an investigation into GCHQ intercepts.
On Tuesday, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee called for a fresh investigation into the part played by intelligence agents in the Real IRA attack 12 years ago and if crucial data that could have led to arrests was kept from police officers.
After outlining the inquiry findings at Stormont, committee chair Sir Patrick Cormack criticised Gordon Brown for only letting them see a heavily edited version of the government's own report on the controversial claims carried out by Intelligence Services Commissioner Sir Peter Gibson.
Sir Patrick Cormack said the Omagh bereaved still needed answers.
"Far too many questions remain unanswered," he said. "The criminal justice system has failed to bring to justice those responsible for the Omagh bombing.
"The least that those who were bereaved or injured have the right to expect are answers to those questions"
Kevin Skelton, who lost his wife Mena in the atrocity, has described the latest development as "a sad state of affairs."
Mr Skelton decried the new report and believes any future enquiries or reports would be a waste of time because "the government won't tell the truth."
"They're talking about having another Inquiry but we've had loads of reports and inquiries so far and we're still no further forward," said Mr Skelton.
"No disrespect to Sir Patrick (Cormack); I think he's done a great job and I respect the man but decisions about unanswered questions lay with Gordon Brown and neither he nor the government are going to divulge anything.
"For them, the Omagh Bomb is just another statistic and for me, having another inquiry would be like banging our heads against a brick wall."
Following the report's publication, Downing Street defended its refusal to share intelligence over the 1998 attack, citing national security issues.
However, in his report, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee chairman, Sir Patrick criticised the administration for not providing the full contents of the Gibson Report, which examined the roles of the intelligence services.
According to Sir Patrick, the key questions which need to be answered include: Could the attack have been prevented? And; was enough done to catch the killers after the explosion?
"There are a lot of unanswered question but these will remain unanswered," Kevin Skelton continued. "I stated all along that the Omagh bomb was political and nothing anyone says will ever change my mind.
"Another enquiry would be a total waste of time because the government isn't going to tell the truth.
"Every time you mention a public inquiry the problem of money is mentioned. But there is no point setting up these kinds of things if the likes of the MoD or MI5 are going to withhold evidence.
"I don't know where we go from here. I have no faith in the British Government - or the Irish Government for that matter. Nothing would surprise me any more with either of them."
To date, no-one has been convicted of the bombing. However, in 2009 four men were found liable for the bombing in a landmark civil case taken by the victims' families.
The only person jailed for the Omagh bombing, Colm Murphy from Co Louth, was cleared and released recently following a retrial in Dublin.
Families' anger over 'censored' inquiry
BY MICHAEL DEVLIN
m.devlin@ulsterherald.com
BRITISH Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has been accused of a 'cover up' by denying a parliamentary committee access to an investigation into GCHQ intercepts.
On Tuesday, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee called for a fresh investigation into the part played by intelligence agents in the Real IRA attack 12 years ago and if crucial data that could have led to arrests was kept from police officers.
After outlining the inquiry findings at Stormont, committee chair Sir Patrick Cormack criticised Gordon Brown for only letting them see a heavily edited version of the government's own report on the controversial claims carried out by Intelligence Services Commissioner Sir Peter Gibson.
Sir Patrick Cormack said the Omagh bereaved still needed answers.
"Far too many questions remain unanswered," he said. "The criminal justice system has failed to bring to justice those responsible for the Omagh bombing.
"The least that those who were bereaved or injured have the right to expect are answers to those questions"
Kevin Skelton, who lost his wife Mena in the atrocity, has described the latest development as "a sad state of affairs."
Mr Skelton decried the new report and believes any future enquiries or reports would be a waste of time because "the government won't tell the truth."
"They're talking about having another Inquiry but we've had loads of reports and inquiries so far and we're still no further forward," said Mr Skelton.
"No disrespect to Sir Patrick (Cormack); I think he's done a great job and I respect the man but decisions about unanswered questions lay with Gordon Brown and neither he nor the government are going to divulge anything.
"For them, the Omagh Bomb is just another statistic and for me, having another inquiry would be like banging our heads against a brick wall."
Following the report's publication, Downing Street defended its refusal to share intelligence over the 1998 attack, citing national security issues.
However, in his report, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee chairman, Sir Patrick criticised the administration for not providing the full contents of the Gibson Report, which examined the roles of the intelligence services.
According to Sir Patrick, the key questions which need to be answered include: Could the attack have been prevented? And; was enough done to catch the killers after the explosion?
"There are a lot of unanswered question but these will remain unanswered," Kevin Skelton continued. "I stated all along that the Omagh bomb was political and nothing anyone says will ever change my mind.
"Another enquiry would be a total waste of time because the government isn't going to tell the truth.
"Every time you mention a public inquiry the problem of money is mentioned. But there is no point setting up these kinds of things if the likes of the MoD or MI5 are going to withhold evidence.
"I don't know where we go from here. I have no faith in the British Government - or the Irish Government for that matter. Nothing would surprise me any more with either of them."
To date, no-one has been convicted of the bombing. However, in 2009 four men were found liable for the bombing in a landmark civil case taken by the victims' families.
The only person jailed for the Omagh bombing, Colm Murphy from Co Louth, was cleared and released recently following a retrial in Dublin.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1991
Published Date: 18-Mar-10
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