SAOIRSE32

Belfast Telegraph

By Deborah McAleese
15 February 2006

An Ulster farmer who received a loan from murdered millionaire loyalist James Johnston today agreed to hand over £45,000 to the Assets Recovery Agency.

Ignatius Geddis, from Belfast Road in Bangor, volunteered to hand over the cash, as well as an Isuzu Trooper vehicle belonging to Johnston.

The ARA has now agreed not to pursue civil recovery proceedings and has stressed that there are no allegations of money laundering against Mr Geddis.

Mr Geddis, who recently sold a scrapyard at picturesque Helen’s Bay in a reported multi-million pound deal, borrowed money from Former Red Hand Commando chief Jim ‘Jonty’ Johnston in 1999.

Johnston (45) was hit 11 times when two gunmen opened fire at his plush home on the Ballyrobert Road in Crawfordsburn on May 8, 2003.

Following his death his properties became the subject of Assets Recovery Agency proceedings and in 2004 the ARA obtained the UK’s first £1m plus recovery order after alleging in the High Court that Johnston’s assets were the proceeds of drug trafficking.

Alan McQuillan, ARA assistant director, today said: “Criminals will attempt to hide cash which is derived from criminal activities in a number of ways.

“One of these is to make loans to other people. It is important that everyone realises the Proceeds of Crime Act means we can come after such loans and seek to recover them.”

Mr Geddis had for many years been at the centre of a long-running dispute over a dump on property at Helen’s Bay.

Belfast Telegraph

Two years before pair face judge: court told

15 February 2006

Two men accused of the £26m Northern Bank robbery are unlikely to stand trial for two years, Belfast Magistrates Court heard today.

The claim was made by a solicitor for Christopher Ward and Dominic McEvoy when they appeared on remand.

Ward (24), a Northern Bank employee, from Colinmill, Poleglass, west Belfast, and McEvoy (22), a builder, from Mulandra Park, Kilcoo, Co Down, are on High Court bail.

They are charged with armed robbery at the bank’s headquarters at Donegall Square in Belfast on December 20, 2004.

McEvoy is also charged with falsely imprisoning bank official Kevin McMullan and his wife Karen are their home at Loughinisland, Co Down.

A prosecution lawyer said the defendants were on six week remand periods - two weeks longer than usual - and he asked for another six weeks because of the complexity of the case.

Defence solicitor Joe McVeigh said a longer period of up to three months would be in order.

“This case will be in the Magistrates Court for up to 18 months before there is a committal hearing to send the defendants for trial,” he said.

“Longer remands would be in ease of the defendants who are subject to a variety of bail conditions which include having to report regularly to the police.”

Also in the dock was Martin McAliskey, (39), a self-employed salesman, of Ballybeg Road, Coalisland, Co Tyrone, who is also on bail on a charge relating to a white Ford Transit van alleged to have been used in the record-breaking heist.

Resident Magisrate Desmond Perry remanded all three defendants for eight weeks until April 12 on continuing bail.

Irish Examiner

By Vivion Kilfeather
15 February 2006

THE Supreme Court has reserved judgment in an appeal that could have major implications for the conduct of trials for membership of an illegal organisation at the Special Criminal Court.

The case centres on the right of people accused of membership to cross-examine a Garda Chief Superintendent on the basis of his belief that an accused is a member of an unlawful organisation.

Under the Offences Against the State Act, the Garda Chief Superintendent’s belief is evidence of membership, but in practice in recent years must be supported by other evidence.

Martin Kelly, aged 49, a former corporal in the Defence Forces, of Westpark, Artane, was convicted in November 2003 of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on July 29, 2002. He was jailed for four years.

During the trial, the Special Criminal Court heard that Kelly and another man demanded money from a Dublin businessman to protect his lap dancing club in Temple Bar. The businessman gave €15,000 to the two men before going to the gardaí. He said the men told him the money was for the Continuity IRA.

Detective Chief Superintendent Philip Kelly of the Special Detective Unit said he believed Kelly was a member of the IRA, but Martin Kelly, in evidence on his own behalf, denied membership.

The Court of Criminal Appeal turned down Kelly’s appeal but said a point of law raised by his lawyers should go to the Supreme Court for consideration.

Kelly’s counsel, Peter Finlay SC, submitted that Article 38 of the Constitution, which guaranteed the right to a fair trial, had been breached because the defence in Kelly’s case was not entitled to cross-examine Chief Superintendent Kelly on the basis behind his belief evidence.

Mr Finlay said that Section 3 (2), of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act, 1972, provided that where a Garda Chief Superintendent gave evidence that an accused was a member of an unlawful organisation, the statement will be evidence that he was such a member.

He said the challenge was not to the constitutionality of the section, but to the manner in which it was allowed to operate. He said that Article 38 guaranteed procedures that were fair, and Kelly was not given a fair trial when he did not have the opportunity to test the evidence against him.

He said when he attempted to challenge the Chief Superintendent’s belief evidence, the Chief Superintendent invoked privilege and claimed it was necessary to protect informants’ lives.

George Birmingham SC, for the State, submitted that the provisions of the 1972 Act were clear and there could be no question about the admissibility per se of the Chief Superintendent’s opinion evidence.

He said the Special Criminal Court had upheld the claim to privilege.

An Phoblacht

BY SHANE Mac THOMÁIS

On 24 January 1885 Captain William Mackey Lomasney and his Clan na Gael struck at the very heart of Victorian imperialism when they bombed Westminster Hall, the Tower of London and the House of Commons.

Almost to the week 106 years later, the IRA, in February 1991, bombed the British War Cabinet, which was meeting at the centre of British political power - the Prime Minister’s residence in Number 10 Downing Street.

Just after 10am on Thursday 7 February, as the most senior war lords of the Tory Cabinet discussed their strategy in the Gulf War, one of three IRA mortars, launched from a white van on the corner of Horseguards Avenue and Whitehall, landed in the British Prime Minister’s residence.

Blast windows and their frames protecting the cabinet room shattered as Ministers dived for cover under tables. The IRA mortar heading straight for the cabinet room had hit a tree and exploded 15 yards short of its target. The tree, coupled with special defences in the cabinet room, ensured that injuries were restricted to two civil servants and two policemen attached to the Diplomatic Protection Squad. What was not lost on those inside Number 10 was that, had the device not struck the tree it would have ploughed straight into the cabinet room, almost certainly killing the British Prime Minister and most senior members of the British Government.

Two other mortars launched seconds later slightly overshot their target and crashed into Mountbatten Green, causing damage to numbers 11 and 12 Downing Street, the offices of the Treasury and Foreign Ministry. One British security agent said it was five to ten degrees off.

The fact that the IRA, in the midst of one of the tightest security clampdowns in British history, had reached the centre of government in Britain and came within feet of wiping out its top tier, shocked the British establishment and dominated news headlines across the world.

The IRA, following the 1991 attack said in a statement issued within hours of the attack: “Today an active service unit of the IRA successfully breached the greatly enhanced wartime security surrounding 10 Downing Street by launching a mortar attack in the heart of the British establishment.

‘”The operation had been planned over a number of months. Its inception pre-dates both John Major’s coming to power and the beginning of British involvement in the Gulf War.

“Whether the Gulf War goes on for weeks or years, let the British Government understand that, while nationalist people in the Six Counties are forced to live under British rule, the British cabinet will be forced to meet in bunkers.

“The British Government has the solution to the conflict of which today’s attack is a part. It should initiate the process which will lead to British withdrawal from our country and create the conditions for a true democracy throughout Ireland.”

The audacious and international headline grabbing IRA attack, took place on 7 February 1991.

An Phoblacht

BY LAURA FRIEL

Almost three years after the Stevens’ Inquiry identified 20 cases of alleged crown forces’ collusion with unionist paramilitary death squads and set the evidence before the Public Prosecutions Service, no decision has been made regarding possible prosecutions. (Photo: The family of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane wife Geraldine with sons Michael and John)

In April 2003, head of the collusion inquiry, John Stevens asked the PPS to decide whether 20 members of the British Crown forces should face criminal charges relating to allegations of collusion in a series of UDA murders.

The PPS said it would give “careful and expeditious consideration” to the evidence presented by the Stevens’ inquiry team but last week a spokesperson for the PPS admitted no decision had been taken on any of the cases.

In his report, which has yet to be published in full, Stevens confirmed crown forces’ collusion and cover up. “I have uncovered enough evidence to lead me to believe that the murders of Pat Finucane and Adam Lambert could have been prevented,” said Stevens.

“I also believe that the RUC investigation of Pat Finucane’s murder should have resulted in the early arrest and detection of his killers,” said Stevens.

Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly said nationalists would be concerned that members of the British forces allegedly involved in collusion had not been brought before the courts.

Meanwhile the Finucane family have described their meeting with DUP leader Ian Paisley as “cordial” and “open”. The meeting, which took place at Stormont, was held just a day after the 17th anniversary of the death of the Belfast defence lawyer. His widow, Geraldine Finucane and sons John and Michael were accompanied by solicitor Peter Madden and Jane Winter of British Irish Rights Watch.

The meeting was kept confidential at the DUP’s request but the family said Ian Paisley had made it clear that he was there to listen to what they had to say. “We discovered by the end of the meeting that we had a lot in common,” said Geraldine Finucane.

“We hope the DUP now have a better understanding of the family’s campaign and what is required for truth and justice to be delivered,” said Geraldine.

“The DUP should now do the right thing and back calls for a full inquiry. It is clear that the Inquiries Act is simply a cynical measure to hide the truth,” she said.

The Finucane family have rejected the British Government’s plan to hold an inquiry into the murder under the restrictive terms of the recently enacted Inquiries Act. The act gives the British Government power to withhold “sensitive” information and censor the final report.

Publication of statistics complied by the Police Ombudsman’s office suggest that when it comes to complaints against the PSNI there is a growing consensus between Protestants and Catholics.

According to the report since it was established in November 2000, the Ombudsman’s Officer has received 14,000 complaints and amongst those questioned a total of 49% were Protestants and 38% Catholic. A sizable section 41% described themselves as having no political affiliation, while the largest number of those who identified their political preference were supporters of the DUP.

An Phoblacht

BY LAURA FRIEL

Photo: Catherine McLoughlin
Waiting for equality

Catherine McLoughlin lives with her two young children in a one of seven tower blocks in the nationalist New Lodge in North Belfast. Five years ago she was told by the Housing Executive that it would only be a temporary arrangement, a stop gap while her family waited to be re-housed in accommodation more appropriate to their needs.

“But now they are saying there is no hope of us ever being allocated a proper house,” says Catherine. Officially the family is waiting for housing but statistically they do not appear on the Housing List. This is because the list, currently 85% Catholic, has become a political issue in North Belfast.

A recent study, Waiting for Equality exposed unionist determination to secure electoral strength in North Belfast, despite a dwindling unionist electorate, was being played through housing allocation.

Housing Executive policy towards increasing Catholic housing need suggests they move outside the area. In sharp contrast a declining Protestant housing requirement has been identified as a ‘problem’ that needs urgent attention. Protestants are encouraged to stay while Catholics are being forced to leave.

Recent statistics exposed sectarian inequality in the current housing waiting list experienced by Catholics living in North Belfast. Instead of addressing this, the Housing Executive appears to have buckled under intense unionist political lobbying determined to Keep North Belfast Unionist.

Sinn Féin Councillor Caral Ní Chuilin says that Housing Executive is systematically denying housing needs of people like Catherine McLaughlin in order to keep the percentage of Catholics appearing in housing statistics artificially lower than is really the case.

“The Housing Officer who interviewed me told me I should be glad to have a roof over my head,” said Catherine, “and he would only allocate me 22 points”. Families living in nationalist areas of North Belfast currently need around 150 points to be eligible for re-housing. “They tell me there is no chance of my family being re housed,” says Catherine.

Housing allocation operates on a points system in the North, introduced as a mechanism to ensure need rather than political or religious affiliation was the criteria used to determine housing need.

“The Housing Executive appears to have adopted an active if informal practice of awarding Catholic families below 30 points when accessing their needs,” says Carol, “anyone allocated below 30 points does not appear in housing need statistics”, says Caral Ní Chuilin.

“The statistics already show an appalling failure to adequately address housing need in nationalist North Belfast. Of 1,900 families on the current waiting list, 85% are Catholics. Rather than address this failure, the Housing Executive appears to be trying to hide it,” she says.

Almost a year ago Children’s Commissioner Nigel Williams expressed shock and anger after he visited the New Lodge Flats where over half of the flats house families rather than single people.

Catherine has two children; her daughter Jamie Lee aged seven and a two-year-old son Darren. The flat has two bedrooms, barely a double and a small single room. “My son sleeps with me,” says Catherine. Conditions in the flat are cramped with a modest living room off a tiny galley kitchen with no dining area and a tiny bathroom. A narrow balcony is the only outdoor space, too unsafe to allow children to play, it hosts a line of washing.

“The flat is very expensive to heat and very damp. The only heating is electric and very expensive to run. Most families here are surviving on benefit. During the winter it’s really a case of heating or eating. About a third of my weekly income goes on heating,” says Catherine.

“The Children’s Commissioner described the flats as totally unacceptable and expressed grave concern at the current number of children living in these conditions, but that’s almost a year ago and nothing has changed,” says Caral,” there is a high incidence of children with Asthma housed in these flats as well as other environmental health issues. Catherine and her children have serious health issues she believes are directly attributable to the housing conditions.

“My son has developmental difficulties and my daughter a serious stress related illness. I suffer from severe depression. Inside the flat we’re over crowded, living on top of each other, and yet living in a flat is very isolating. It’s a very lonely place for a young mother struggling with very little income and cut off from other neighbours.

The flats backing onto the rubbish chute outside have interior walls blackened with mould infestation and damp.

“Families in housing need are not only waiting for housing but also for equality. The unionist political agenda, expressed by the DUP during a recent election campaign, to ‘Keep North Belfast Unionist’ is distorting housing policy. The Executive appears to be indulging in sectarian social engineering at the behest of unionism. They are playing politics with people’s lives,” says Councillor Ní Chuilin.

Sinn Féin

Published: 15 February, 2006

Sinn Féin South Down MLA Willie Clarke has described the PSNI raid on the home of former Sinn Féin councillor Francie Braniff in Ballynahinch as both farcical and further evidence of the political policing agenda.

Mr Clarke said:

“The PSNI raid on the home of Francie Braniff this morning on the pretence of looking for materials related to the Northern Bank Robbery was motivated by a political policing agenda. It was a total farce. The PSNI were there for less than 15 minutes.

“The targeting of Sinn Féin elected representatives and political activists is further evidence of the political policing agenda. Activities such as this validate Sinn Féin‚s position on policing and prove beyond any doubt the negative role being played by elements of the RUC old guard within the PSNI in directing and formulating policy and direction.

“Those securocrats behind this mornings raid on the Braniff family home are the same people who collapsed the political institutions, the same people who provide the nonsense which makes up IMC reports and the same people who have for decades controlled unionist murder gangs in their campaign against the nationalist and republican community. The British government need to bring these dissident elements to heel.

“From Tony Blair to Peter Hain and Hugh Orde, the SDLP and the Policing Board these people cannot avoid the reality of political policing and their responsibility in overseeing it. Clearly they now have a big job of work in trying to convince nationalists and republicans that the PSNI is capable of operating in an accountable, non-politically partisan and acceptable fashion.” ENDS

BN.ie

15/02/2006 - 14:10:06

Police in the North have raided the home of a former Sinn Féin councillor as part of their ongoing investigation into the £26.5m (€39m) robbery at Northern Bank headquarters in Belfast.

The PSNI would only say that a number of searches were being carried out in the Co Down area as part of investigations into “serious crime”.

However, Sinn Féin confirmed that one of the houses targeted was that of Francie Braniff, a former councillor for the party in Ballynahinch.

Local Sinn Féin MLA Willie Clarke said the PSNI raided the house “on the pretence of looking for materials related to the Northern Bank robbery”.

Mr Clarke accused the police of conducting the raid as part of a politically motivated anti-republican agenda.

BN.ie

15/02/2006 - 17:55:29

Police were attacked tonight for carrying out searches at the home of a solicitor who was secretly taped during meetings with paramilitary suspect clients.

Detectives also raided the Co Derry offices of Manmohan “Johnny” Sandhu, 41, who is accused of terrorist-related offences.

Cheque books, records and computer equipment were all taken during the operation carried out under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The move incensed Mr Sandhu’s lawyer, Joe Rice, who claimed officers should have given notification.

Mr Rice also demanded to know why police did not act before his client was released on bail last week.

He said: “This has been done in a piecemeal way, by way of ambush.

“Mr Sandhu has strictly adhered to his High Court bail conditions, and just when he’s getting his life back on an even keel they start this.

“Whatever investigations are still being conducted, why were they not dealt with during the week he was in custody?”

Sandhu, of Colby Avenue, Derry, faces four charges of perverting the course of justice and one of attempting to incite murder, all between July and November last year.

He was accused of the offences by police who recorded at least 70 of his consultations with clients at Antrim Serious Crime Suite, Northern Ireland’s only terrorist holding centre.

Sandhu was arrested two weeks ago and interviewed 22 times by detectives before the charges were put to him.

The Northern Ireland High Court was told he allegedly tried to have a taxi driver wounded in an Ulster Volunteer Force gun attack “taken out” before he could speak to police.

The lawyer also allegedly contacted a UVF boss in east Belfast and urged him to hide a man suspected of involvement in another murder carried out by that organisation during a violent feud last summer.

Sandhu denies all charges against him.

Today police moved in on his home and business premises in Limavady, Co Derry.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokeswoman said: “Detectives have conducted searches in the Limavady and Foyle areas in connection with serious crime.”

Mr Rice said he was mystified about why they had waited until now.

He added: “We understood there was no police objection to bail, so why do this?

“We would have liked to be given some notice as to this further investigation so we could have been better equipped to assist.”

BBC

A planned visit to Northern Ireland next week by Prime Minister Tony Blair will not go ahead, according to Downing Street sources.

The sources said after meeting the DUP, UUP and SDLP on Wednesday, “Mr Blair was developing an idea of the direction in which the government should go”.

It is understood Mr Blair wants to meet Sinn Fein and reflect on the views of all the parties before making a speech.

The DUP’s Ian Paisley said he was “pessimistic” about any further talks.

“There is no agreement, there is a great gulf fixed, the prime minister must do something,” he said after meeting Mr Blair at Downing Street.

“He must either say, I am going to keep to my promise and my promise was that crime would go, terrorism would go and then we would go forward.”

Focus

“Now if he doesn’t keep to that we have said that as far as we are concerned there is no use talking.”

Speaking after meeting Mr Blair, SDLP leader Mark Durkan said he believed the prime minister remained focussed on the political process.

“Certainly he didn’t give us a sense that he is on a count down to his exit, he seemed to be more interested in our ideas for a countdown to restoration of the institutions,” he said.

“I think he did show a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose and certainly he had a lot of sympathy with the points that we were making, that parties wouldn’t get real until the governments were very clear that we had a real date with democratic responsibility.”

Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said his party were broadly in favour of government plans to enable a quick assembly election in the autumn.

“We welcomed the news that the secretary of state is to get power to call a snap assembly election if he chooses,” he said.

“This will give an impetus to the process provided that, again, it is done with maximum transparency and openness in order to achieve the necessary public confidence.”

Assembly elections

It is expected that Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain will be given powers to call a snap assembly election later this year.

The move would allow Mr Hain to call a poll as early as the autumn, rather than wait until the spring of 2007.

It is believed it will be included in new legislation to be unveiled on Thursday.

At present it is fixed for the spring of 2007, but an early poll could be used to endorse a new deal.

Mr Hain, in the past, has said he is not interested in calling an election to another suspended assembly.

The new bill is expected to make new provisions for the devolution of policing and justice power so that a speedy transition could be made once the assembly reaches agreement on the matter.

Daily Ireland

An anti-sectarian charity has called for an investigation after Glasgow Rangers’ star player Dado Prso was apparently captured on camera singing a sectarian song. The Croatian was allegedly filmed on the team bus belting out some of the words to sectarian anthem The Billy Boys as it played out on the coach’s sound system

By Connla Young
15/02/2006

An anti-sectarian charity has called on Rangers Football Club to launch an investigation after one of its star players was captured on camera apparently singing a sectarian song.
The revelation will come as a setback to the Glasgow soccer club, who have been engaged in a campaign to stamp out sectarianism over the last number of years.
The sectarian singalong is believed to have taken place on the club’s official team bus after Rangers’ dramatic victory over the Edinburgh club Hibernian to claim the Scottish Premier League title last May.
The film shows the Croatian striker Dado Prso apparently singing the Billy Boys, a sectarian anthem chanted by some Rangers supporters and loyalists. The song can be heard playing on the team bus’ stereo system.
Nil by Mouth, an anti-sectarian charity that aims to challenge religious bigotry in Scotland, last night called on Rangers to launch a probe into the incident.
“This tape has been brought to our attention,” said a spokesperson.
“We have contacted Rangers and asked that they carry out an investigation into this matter.”
The footage is believed to have been captured by a television crew who travelled on the team bus after Rangers clinched the league title on the last day of the Scottish soccer season last year.
The video clip was recently placed on a loyalist website that pays tribute to loyalist paramilitary groups, including the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force.
The clip also shows several Rangers players swigging from bottles as they celebrate their unexpected league victory.
The Billy Boy revelations come in the same week as loyalist victims representative William Frazer confirmed that he would meet representatives of Celtic after two of that club’s players were filmed singing The Fields of Athenry at a supporters club event in Co Donegal before Christmas. It was later proven that neither John Hartson nor Stephen Pearson had taken part in pro-republican chants. In 1999, Rangers vice-chairman Donald Findlay was forced to resign after he was filmed singing a loyalist song. A spokesman for Rangers Football Club last night refused to comment.

To view the video >>click here. Please note that clicking this link will bring you to an external internet site which pays tribute to loyalist paramilitary groups. Daily Ireland is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

BBC

By Jonathan McCambridge
15 February 2006

An Ulster taxi driver said today he is prepared to face court before he will pay a fine issued by police for smoking in his own car.

William Smyth (48), was driving off-duty on the King’s Road in east Belfast on February 4 when he was stopped by police and given the £30 fixed penalty notice.

The police action has sparked anger and calls for the fine to be lifted.

Mr Smyth said: “I was not working, I did not even have my taxi sign above the car. I was just driving along when these two officers stopped me.

“They asked me if I was working and I said no. Then they looked at my taxi plates and said about me smoking and asked me to pull over. Then they gave me the yellow fixed penalty ticket. I thought it was some sort of joke for a TV programme but they said it was something to do with hygiene.

“This is my own car and it is the only transport I have. When I am not working I use it for personal use. I would never smoke if I was working or there was anyone in the car but I thought it was my own business what I do when I am in my own time.”

Mr Smyth added: “I have not paid the ticket and I have no intention of paying it. I am trying to find out exactly what law I am supposed to have broken. If it comes to it then I will go to court to fight this.

“It is completely ridiculous. How can you stop someone having a cigarette in their own car in their own time? Do the police not have anything better to do?”

A police spokesman confirmed that they had handed out a fixed penalty notice to a taxi driver for smoking in his vehicle.

He said: “Police did issue a £30 fixed penalty notice on February 4 on the King’s Road to a male driver for smoking in a PSV vehicle.

“This is an offence under the PSV Regulation (Northern Ireland 1985).”

The spokesman said the driver had the opportunity to pay the fine or opt for a court hearing. He also said any complaints about police action should be referred to the Police Ombudsman.

It is understood that police officers do not view any distinction between taxis which are off or on-duty.

Ulster Unionist Assembly member Michael Copeland said he had written to the PSNI asking for an explanation and for the fine to be lifted.

Belfast Telegraph

By Noel McAdam
15 February 2006

Prime Minister Tony Blair was today coming under pressure to spell out the Government’s plans - and timetable - for work towards restoration of the Assembly.

Ulster Unionists were urging the Prime Minister to spell out his intentions while the SDLP warned that giving MI5 the lead role for intelligence gathering could undermine the political process.

The DUP was also due to meet Mr Blair this afternoon, with the focus on its demands for a raft of confidence-building measures for unionist and loyalist areas - including the severance package for the Royal Irish Regiment.

UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said today: “We will be trying to establish the basis upon which the Government intends to conduct the talks. The DUP says the (Good Friday) Agreement is dead. Is this what the PM thinks?”

The UUP delegation, including North Down MP Sylvia Hermon, deputy leader Danny Kennedy and senior negotiator Alan McFarland, said they would also warn Mr Blair against the continued strategy of “side deals” and “concessions”.

With the devolution of policing and justice legislation due tomorrow, SDLP leader Mark Durkan warned: “While the Government gives with the one hand technical legislation facilitating the devolution of justice and policing, it is taking away with the other intelligence gathering from the PSNI and giving it to the faceless men of MI5.

“This weakens accountability, it is bad for policing and bad for politics. It must be challenged.”

Tomorrow both the UUP and SDLP are due to attend detailed discussions with Political Development Minister David Hanson which could include mechanisms to restore Stormont.

Then on Monday the parties are back at Hillsborough Castle for a second day-long session of separate meetings co-chaired by Secretary of State Peter Hain and the Republic’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern.

A senior Government source said “depending on how things go” over the next few days Mr Blair would “maybe” be in Belfast by the end of the month.

Sinn Fein is also due to see the Prime Minister before his long-anticipated visit.

BN.ie

15/02/2006 - 08:30:45

Justice Minister Michael McDowell is to be called before a special European Parliament committee to answer questions about whether CIA “torture flights” are passing through Irish airports.

The committee has been established to investigate claims that several EU countries have allowed their territory to be used as part of the controversial US “extraordinary rendition” programme.

Under the scheme, the CIA has been detaining suspected Islamic militants in several countries before transferring them to secret interrogation centres around the world.

Many victims of the programme have turned out to be innocent after months of alleged torture in countries such as Syria and Saudi Arabia.

The Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights watchdog, has already concluded that the CIA is using the programme to “outsource” torture as the practice is banned under US law.

The council has also concluded that EU governments are turning a blind eye to the fact that several victims of the scheme have been kidnapped by the CIA on European soil and transported through EU airports.

The European Parliament has set up a special committee to question each member state about their knowledge of the practice.

Irish anti-war activists claim planes used in the CIA scheme have landed at Shannon Airport on numerous occasions in recent years.

They have been demanding inspections of US flights at the airport, but the Irish Government says it accepts US assurances that no detainees have ever been moved through Shannon.

Irish MEP Simon Coveney, a member of the parliamentary committee, has said these assurances are not good enough and Mr McDowell will be asked to tell MEPs exactly what the Irish Government knows about the contentious flights.

Sinn Féin

Published: 14 February, 2006

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Policing issues Gerry Kelly said that proposals to increase the role of MI5 in the six counties was unacceptable.

Mr Kelly said:

“It is unacceptable that an organisation which has set itself against policing and political change throughout the course of this process should be given an expanded role.

“The role of the securocrats within both the Special Branch and MI5 needs to be reduced and ended, not supported and expanded.

“Sinn Féin have raised this very serious matter with both governments over recent months and we will do so again in our discussions this week.” ENDS

Sinn Féin

Published: 14 February, 2006

Sinn Fein County Councillor Gerry Murray has welcomed the decision by Mayo County Council to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the 1981 H-Block hunger strike. Councillor Murray’s motion calling on the Council to commemorate the Hunger strike was supported by all Political Parties on the Council.

In a statement Cllr Murray said, “I wish to thank all my colleagues on Mayo County Council for supporting my motion to commemorate the 1981 Hunger Strike. It is entirely appropriate that Mayo County Council should be the first local authority in Ireland to formally decide to mark this defining moment in Irish History. Mayo is the home of Jack McNeeila, Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg all of whom died on hunger strike. I sincerely hope that other County Councils through out the Country will follow our lead and honour Bobby Sands and his nine comrades by remembering their sacrifice.” ENDS

BN.ie

14/02/2006 - 15:44:17

The SDLP’s call for an all-Ireland police intelligence agency was described today as the most blatant attempt to politicise policing.

Democratic Unionist Assembly member Stephen Moutray launched a hard-hitting critique of the proposal and a new SDLP document calling for closer cross-border links across a range of policy areas.

“This is one of the more blatant attempts to politicise policing in recent years,” the Upper Bann MLA said.

“The SDLP have had a long standing opportunity to take action itself as a way to counteract paramilitarism and criminality.

“The DUP has put onto the table an invitation for the SDLP to send out a clear and unambiguous message that those who are not committed to exclusively peaceful and democratic means must face necessary ensuing consequences.

“The SDLP could have taken sides with other democratic parties and entered into a voluntary coalition in Northern Ireland which would have stood together in stating that there can be no place in the heart of any democratic government or executive for those who are engaged in criminality.

“Instead of doing so the SDLP chose to place the whole of Northern Ireland on hold – with all of the attendant difficulties for our economy for our infrastructure and for our population – and forced everyone to wait for some day in the never never when Sinn Féin/IRA might decide to become proper democrats.”

In its 24-page document entitled North-South Makes Sense, the SDLP claimed the all-Ireland intelligence agency, involving Police Service of Northern Ireland and Garda Siochana personnel, would be an effective tool to take on criminals and terrorists north and south of the border.

The paper also called for:

:: An all-Ireland Criminal Assets Bureau to target criminals and paramilitaries who have been profiting from cross-border crime.

:: An all-island sex offenders’ register to prevent criminals from exploiting different jurisdictions.

:: An all-Ireland Law Commission to study and promote the harmonisation of laws on both sides of the border;

:: Joint co-operation between the Human Rights Commissions in the North and the Irish Republic, completing work on an all-Ireland rights charter as envisaged by the Good Friday Agreement;

:: Full implementation of the North-South Criminal Justice Treaty and more exchanges of personnel in the policing and criminal justice sides, including prison officers, court clerks and even members of the judiciary.

The document, which was welcomed by the Republic’s Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern and Sinn Féin general secretary Mitchel McLaughlin, also called for closer cross-border co-operations across the economy, health, education, farming and fisheries.

Mr Moutray said today the SDLP’s document was little more than a feeble effort to out-green Sinn Fein.

He continued “(SDLP leader) Mark Durkan uses the combination of folly and bumptiousness to tell us all that unless we adopt this document ‘we are all losers,’ when the real truth of the matter is that the very production of this paper is just an indication that the SDLP have lost out to Sinn Féin/IRA and are frantically trying to claw their way back, no matter the cost.”

BN.ie

14/02/2006 - 18:28:00

The father of a loyalist murder victim is to hold talks with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, he said tonight.

Raymond McCord revealed a meeting has been set up as part of a widening campaign for justice over the Ulster Volunteer Force killing of his son, Raymond Jr.

He will travel to Dublin on Friday to finalise arrangements with Irish officials.

Mr McCord, who has been fiercely critical of the support offered from nearly all political parties in Northern, was angered at having to cross the border.

He said: “I’m a Protestant from a unionist community, yet I’m having to go to Dublin, to a foreign country, to get justice for young Raymond.

“I want Mr Ahern to help me, because I’m not getting any help up here.”

Mr McCord claims a UVF man involved in the murder has been protected because he is a police special branch agent.

His son, a 22-year-old former RAF operator, was beaten to death and dumped in a north Belfast quarry in 1997.

Nuala O’Loan, the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, is due to report on her investigation into the allegations later this year.

Mr McCord claimed he turned to politicians in the Republic, including Irish Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte, after being let down by his own representatives.

Only Mark Durkan of the SDLP has provided real support by taking him to meet Secretary of State Peter Hain, he said.

Most of his scorn was directed at the Democratic Unionists, whose leader Ian Paisley met with the family of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane in Belfast on Monday.

“There’s double standards here,” Mr McCord said.

“The DUP use the excuse that they are waiting for Mrs O’Loan’s report before doing more on my case.

“But this is a party that has done nothing but criticise Mrs O’Loan.”

A DUP spokesman tonight declined to comment on Mr McCord’s allegations.

BBC

A multi-million pound investment package is unveiled for a loyalist Village area of south Belfast.

The project includes £2.5m for new homes and business units on a derelict site on the Donegall Road. New houses will also be built at Sandy Row.

A £650,000 sports ground and a resource centre are also on the cards.

The funding announcement was made by Social Development Minister David Hanson who said tackling deprivation was a challenge for everyone.

“We have made a good start but there is still much to be done which will require the active engagement and involvement of local residents,” he said.

“This exciting package of initiatives will take time to complete but will ultimately bring real and lasting change to people in Sandy Row and the greater Village. ”

Mr Hanson announced the package as he officially opened the Tree Project, a timber recycling facility, on the Donegall Road.

‘Real improvement’

He outlined plans to develop the former disabled care site on the Donegall Road.

Belfast Improved Housing and the Greater Village Regeneration Trust will be involved in the project to create new homes and small industrial units on the site.

Mr Hanson also said that a new community resource centre would be built on Sandy Row, involving a partnership between Belfast South Community Resources and the private and statutory sectors.

The Department for Social Development’s Belfast Regeneration Office has approved funding for a new £650,000 multi-purpose sports ground on a site beside the Charter Youth Club.

Mr Hanson also revealed that two thirds of the actions highlighted in the Sandy Row and Greater Village Reports published last year have been completed or were under way.

BBC

Striking postal workers march through Belfast

Efforts are continuing to bring a two-week long postal strike by Belfast workers to a close.

Members of the Communication Workers Union are still considering an offer made by Royal Mail on Monday night.

This would allow a third party to look at future relations between management and employees. It also includes a 12-month ban on industrial action.

Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey wants the government to intervene to stem damage to the economy.

Sir Reg urged economy minister Angela Smith to get involved in settling the strike.

“This is causing some really significant economic damage,” he said.

“Under those circumstances and because of the fact that the longer a thing like this goes on, the harder it is to solve, it seems to me that the minister has a duty to do what she can to help the different parties along.”

Rally

Earlier on Tuesday, several hundred striking post office staff and their supporters took part in a city centre rally.

It was organised by the Belfast and District Trade Unions Council, which said it wholeheartedly supported the postal workers.

CWU Belfast branch secretary Eoin Davey said the turn out showed the support that the postal workers were getting.

“The postal workers are determined to stay out until Royal Mail accepts what are reasonable terms for an employee,” he said.

“There is nobody out there who doesn’t believe that what is being asked for by the postal workers is not acceptable.”

Peter Donaghy, a member of the CWU national executive, said no offers were officially accepted or rejected as discussions were ongoing.

‘Unacceptable’

On Monday night, Royal Mail said that if the strikers returned to work immediately, it would engage an independent third party to “improve employee relations”.

Workers at Tomb Street in Belfast began an unofficial strike on 31 January after staff alleged harassment by managers. Royal Mail denied the claims.

Mail deliveries have been disrupted with Belfast the worst affected area.

One of the striking Belfast workers’ key demands has been an independent review of disciplinary procedures.

Royal Mail personnel director Gary Crawford said it was “completely unacceptable that customers continued to suffer”.

He said the company had agreed to a third party to help move industrial and employee relations forward.

“We have also said that we will address any individual employee concerns, of any kind, but this can only be done when there is a return to normal working,” he said.

“This morning (Tuesday), Royal Mail management further clarified and amended a set of words that appeared to be the basis for agreement - fully meeting the specific request of the CWU.

“We are now left wondering what the outstanding issues may be.”

Royal Mail said customers needing more information and advice could contact its helpline number on 08457 740740.