SAOIRSE32

BBC
17 April 2008

No group has the right to drag the community back into conflict, the deputy first minister has told a meeting in Derry.

Martin McGuinness

Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams and other members of Sinn Féin addressed 500 people in the Guildhall.

They outlined the party leadership’s analysis of the political way forward, and invited criticism from the floor.

“It’s not easy, it’s not going to be easy in future, but this is the only road to go,” said Mr McGuinness.

The Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams, also spoke at the meeting.

“If we reflect back on this, the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the last 40 years are a good measurement, considering what things were like in this city 40 years ago, what they were like on the island 40 years ago, what they were like for republicans 40 years ago, and what they’re like now,” said Mr Adams.

Earl Storey, a former Ulster Unionist Party member who now works for a Church of Ireland reconciliation group, Hard Gospel, also attended the meeting.

He called on other parties to follow Sinn Féin’s example and invite criticism of their policies.

“This is a political party I’ve publicly had critical things to say to over the past, but I was interested in that the meeting actually happened, and that a panel of people invited criticism.

“I thought that was a process I’d like to see replicated in other parties - that sort of public discussion,” he said.

Irish News
**Via Newshound
By Allison Morris
16/04/08

Loyalist community workers say they fear a summer of unrest after nationalist youths launched a petrol bomb attack at a north Belfast flashpoint.

Up to five petrol bombs were thrown into the mainly loyalist Twadell Avenue area by a small crowd who had gathered at the Ardoyne interface shortly after 10pm on Monday.

In the past the area has been scene of violent sectarian clashes.

Cross-community cooperation had helped bring about relative peace to the flashpoint, with last summer one of the quietest on record.

However, Gerald Solinas of the loyalist Conflict Transformation Initiative said there has been a steady increase in low-level attacks on Protestant homes in recent weeks.

“What we would fear is that there is a more sinister element behind these attacks, which are gradually increasing both in frequency and in seriousness,” he said.

“The youths involved in this attack seemed young but there were older men in the background directing the violence.

“And whilst links between both sides have been up until now productive in reducing violence, nationalist community workers do not seem to be able to control this hard-line element.

“We are approaching the summer months when historically interface violence tends to increase and my biggest fear would be that this is a sign of things to come.”

North Belfast interface worker Breandan Clarke said he believed Monday’s unrest was isolated.

“You cannot hold an entire community responsible for the actions of a few,” he said.

“This was a singular, random incident and there are no grounds whatsoever for suggesting it was orchestrated.

“Constructive dialogue between the two communities is what is needed to deal with this particular interface in the long term.”

Police said along with community representatives they restored calm on Monday, with officers maintaining a presence throughout the night.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick said: “This was an unprovoked sectarian attack and fortunately, this time, no-one was hurt.

“These issues are not problems that can be addressed by police alone.

“Much more can be achieved if everyone in the community works together.”

Belfast Telegraph
Thursday 17, April 2008
By David Gordon

A newly released Government document implicates Ian Paisley Snr in controversial lobbying by his son at the St Andrews talks, it was claimed last night.

Rebel unionist MEP Jim Allister made the allegation after obtaining a civil service memo on demands made to Prime Minister Tony Blair during the negotiations.

The Government email - issued days after the crucial 2006 Scottish talks - described a list of six constituency requests as coming from both Paisleys.

The DUP has claimed the north Antrim lobbying occurred “on the margins” of St Andrews, with party sources suggesting Mr Paisley Jnr had been on a ” solo run” on these issues.

The newly-released email, issued under freedom of information, was sent by a senior civil servant at the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in October 2006.

It stated: “At last weeks talks, Rev Ian Paisley and Ian Paisley Jnr took the opportunity to raise with the Prime Minister a number of issues on which they were seeking a positive outcome.

“Ministers here have been asked to pursue these and we have in turn been asked to make a report to David Hanson (direct rule Minister) and SofS (Secretary of State) by the end of the week.”

The email went to permanent secretaries and other officials at a number of Government departments.

The DUP last night again insisted that the six constituency issues had not formed any part of its St Andrews negotiations.

There was embarrassment within the party earlier this year when details of the north Antrim “shopping list” first emerged.

Two of the six demands were connected to property tycoon and DUP member Seymour Sweeney - the development at the Giant’s Causeway and a proposed Government land sale at Ballee, Ballymena.

Claiming the outgoing DUP leader and First Minister had now been implicated in the row, Mr Allister last night said: “It will be recalled that when I exposed the fact that Ian Paisley Jnr had wasted valuable negotiating leverage at St Andrews on lobbying for mere constituency and semi-commercial issues, I called specifically on Ian Paisley Snr to clarify any involvement or role which he had.

“That call was met by a deafening silence from Ian Paisley Snr and the message from the DUP that Junior was ‘on a solo run’ and had no authority to raise any such issues.”

The MEP, who left the DUP last year over its Sinn Fein power-sharing deal, said his ex-leader should explain the email’s contents if he “was not directly involved and present when it was decided to waste negotiating leverage with the PM on such irrelevant issues”.

Mr Allister added: “This documentation strongly suggests that, contrary to DUP assertions, this abuse of St Andrews and taking the eye off the ball went to the very top of the party.” He said: “Little wonder, the constitutional and political outcome for unionism was so disappointing.”

A DUP spokesman last night said: “The DUP Officers made clear on October 15, 2007, and again on January 15, 2008, that none of the issues contained in correspondence from David Hanson to Ian Paisley junior were raised by the party in negotiations at any stage in the run-up to, during or after the St Andrews talks in Scotland.

“They were not raised by or with the party, nor were they included on any shopping list considered and approved by the party officers.

“Jim Allister has confirmed that these issues were not raised at any of the meetings in St Andrews at which he was present.

“The party can confirm that they were not raised at any of the negotiating meetings at which he was not present.”

The spokesman added: “This is clearly another bitter attack by Jim Allister on the DUP and Dr Paisley in particular.

“The DUP team was at St Andrews to get the best deal for the unionist community on important constitutional and political issues.

“At no time did the party ‘take its eye of the ball’ in the negotiations. While Jim chooses to attack his unionist colleagues, the DUP will continue to work and deliver for Northern Ireland.

“During a week when we have seen unrivalled levels of jobs and investment coming into Northern Ireland, we will not be distracted by those who choose to pursue petty vendettas.”

The other issues on the alleged “shopping list” were funding for the North West 200 motorbiking event, the future of the St Patrick’s barracks site in Ballymena, road improvements and planning permission for a hotel, spa and housing development scheme.

A freedom of information disclosure issued in January this year revealed that NIO Minister Mr Hanson wrote to Mr Paisley Jnr in October 2006, pledging a positive response to the six demands.

Mr Paisley Jnr resigned as a Stormont Minister in February, amid ongoing controversy about his lobbying for Mr Sweeney. The MLA continues to deny any wrongdoing and argues that he has every right to press for action on constituency matters.

Belfast Telegraph
By Lesley-Anne Henry
Thursday 17, April 2008

The ex-wife of a suspected Omagh bomber lied to police about a telephone call she received less than an hour after the blast, a detective claimed in court yesterday.

Giving evidence during day seven of a landmark civil action being brought by victims’ relatives, John Gilmore, formerly an RUC detective constable, said Catherine McKenna, who was married to the first named defendant Seamus McKenna, had also lied about her whereabouts on August 15, 1998.

Belfast High Court heard how Mrs McKenna, who was arrested as part of an operation involving the RUC and Garda in June 1999, initially agreed that she had received a phone call from her estranged husband on the day of the bombing but then claimed she was in Galway that day.

Mr Gilmore, who interviewed Mrs McKenna at Strand Road RUC station said: ” It transpired that she had been telling lies. She hadn’t been in Galway on August 15,” said Mr Gilmore.

Meanwhile barrister Brian Fee QC, who is representing Mr McKenna, described Catherine McKenna’s arrest as unexpected and distressing.

He told the court she was flown by helicopter from her home to Bessbrook, Co Armagh and then driven to Londonderry where she was interviewed 17 times.

Mr Fee said the arrest had caused a “distressing scene” with Mrs McKenna’s children “screaming and crying as the helicopter was taking her away”.

Mr Fee suggested Mrs McKenna was an extremely frightened and nervous woman who was so scared she was unable to steady her hand to sign her statements.

“It was abundantly clear from the outset of your interviewing of her that she was an extremely suggestible lady. If you said something to her, her natural inclination was to try and agree with it,” he said.

Another detective told the court how investigators had analysed more than five million mobile phone calls ‘roaming’ in Northern Ireland between January and September 1998.

Detective Sergeant Trevor Stevenson, an RUC telephone liaison officer, said from the five million calls, 22 inter-related numbers were identified. These numbers, he claimed, were registered to 18 people living in the Republic and four people residing in Northern Ireland.

Mr Stevenson said police did not have a list of names prior to obtaining the information from various mobile phone companies. But subsequently the ” majority” of the 22 were arrested.

The trial continues.