1 April 1999 Edition
IRA committed to permanent peace
The IRA's Easter message is to be welcomed. Oglaigh na hÉireann has reiterated its definitive commitment to the peace process and restated that it continues to facilitate the search for a durable peace settlement.
IRA guns are silent, states the leadership's message, which goes on to identify the challenge for everyone, but particularly the British government, that the task ahead of us all is the removal of the causes of conflict in our country.
In a week that saw the continuation of loyalist attacks on the nationalist community and three more bombs left at the homes of Catholics, the need for a lasting and just peace is all the more important.
In the week when we should have been marking the first anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the process is instead deadlocked.
The unionists have prevented the establishment of the Executive, and despite the involvement of Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair in this week's negotiations, David Trimble has not moved.
The British government has the power and the legal requirement to trigger the d'Hondt system but won't do so.
This is the unionist veto at its most potent. With the IRA, as declared in its Easter message, remaining committed to the success of the peace process, we have the one high point of a bleak month which also witnessed the horrendous killing of Rosemary Nelson.
The negative influence of the unionist no men must be overcome to allow us establish the durable peace we want.
Loyalist gunmen and bombers have stepped up their attacks on nationalists with three separate bomb attacks this week and with reports that known loyalists have been seen targeting nationalists throughout Belfast, republicans are urging people to be on their guard.
This warning is all the more urgent given the attack on the family of Sinn Fein councillor James McCarry in Ballycastle this week (see page 4) which was followed by attacks on Catholic homes in Dungannon and North Belfast. Nobody was injured, but as with the killing of Rosemary Nelson, the consequences could have been lethal.
In Belfast, a known loyalist, while on parole from prison two weekends ago, was identified outside the home of a republican in Ardoyne in North Belfast.
The man, known to be against the peace process, has a strained relationship with the present leadership of loyalism over their strategy. He was believed to have given the go-ahead to his subordinates to support the LVF as they killed nationalists, last year, in revenge for the killing of death squad leader Billy Wright in Long Kesh.
``Nationalists need to be aware that loyalists will continue to use violence to undermine the political process and the sense of instability created by David Trimble only fuels this instability,'' said Sinn Féin assembly member for North Belfast, Gerry Kelly.
IRA guns are silent, states the leadership's message, which goes on to identify the challenge for everyone, but particularly the British government, that the task ahead of us all is the removal of the causes of conflict in our country.
In a week that saw the continuation of loyalist attacks on the nationalist community and three more bombs left at the homes of Catholics, the need for a lasting and just peace is all the more important.
In the week when we should have been marking the first anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the process is instead deadlocked.
The unionists have prevented the establishment of the Executive, and despite the involvement of Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair in this week's negotiations, David Trimble has not moved.
The British government has the power and the legal requirement to trigger the d'Hondt system but won't do so.
This is the unionist veto at its most potent. With the IRA, as declared in its Easter message, remaining committed to the success of the peace process, we have the one high point of a bleak month which also witnessed the horrendous killing of Rosemary Nelson.
The negative influence of the unionist no men must be overcome to allow us establish the durable peace we want.
Loyalists target nationalists
Loyalist gunmen and bombers have stepped up their attacks on nationalists with three separate bomb attacks this week and with reports that known loyalists have been seen targeting nationalists throughout Belfast, republicans are urging people to be on their guard.
This warning is all the more urgent given the attack on the family of Sinn Fein councillor James McCarry in Ballycastle this week (see page 4) which was followed by attacks on Catholic homes in Dungannon and North Belfast. Nobody was injured, but as with the killing of Rosemary Nelson, the consequences could have been lethal.
In Belfast, a known loyalist, while on parole from prison two weekends ago, was identified outside the home of a republican in Ardoyne in North Belfast.
The man, known to be against the peace process, has a strained relationship with the present leadership of loyalism over their strategy. He was believed to have given the go-ahead to his subordinates to support the LVF as they killed nationalists, last year, in revenge for the killing of death squad leader Billy Wright in Long Kesh.
``Nationalists need to be aware that loyalists will continue to use violence to undermine the political process and the sense of instability created by David Trimble only fuels this instability,'' said Sinn Féin assembly member for North Belfast, Gerry Kelly.