SF: Sanctions won’t work

08/02/2005 - 17:11:05
Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly has urged the Government to ensure the Independent Monitoring Commission does not impose sanctions on his party.

The Commission's report, to be published on Thursday, is expected to recommend political and financial penalties for the IRA's alleged involvement in the Northern Bank raid.

Mr Kelly has said that would be a mistake.

Mr Kelly said: “Sanctions are obviously the wrong route to go down. We have tried it before and it doesn't work, exclusion has been tried before, criminalisation has been tried before, all these things have been tried before.”

“What I am saying is the Irish Government as an equal partner should block any idea of sanctions by the IMC because the IMC does have a representative of the Irish Government on it.”