IRA 'must speak out over Bank raid'
The IRA must address directly claims that it carried out the £26.5m (€38m) raid on a Belfast bank, a prominent loyalist claimed today.
As pressure mounted on the British government to impose sanctions on Sinn Féin following the Northern Bank heist, Progressive Unionist leader David Ervine called on the Provisionals to issue a statement on the robbery in a bid to move the process forward.
The East Belfast Assembly member, whose party is linked to the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force and Red Hand Commando, said: “Some people are saying the IRA has said they didn’t do this.
“That’s not true. The IRA hasn’t said anything. Only republican sources have spoken but that’s not the IRA.
“Given that there is a credibility problem over denials from IRA sources - look at the the murder of Garda Jerry McCabe or even Colombia – people are saying: this is major crisis, why isn’t P O’Neill (the IRA’s pen name) saying anything?
“What has P O’Neill to say about this?
“Certainly it would lay down a very interesting marker because I think P O’Neill, if they were responsible, could not afford to say they were not or that be a major, major credibility issue.
“It doesn’t clarify things to have an IRA source or a Sinn Féin figure saying we spoke to the IRA or even (former SDLP leader) John Hume saying he spoke to the republican leadership. It would be, I think, of some significance if the IRA spoke on this issue.”
Talks to restore devolution in Northern Ireland have been plunged into crisis ever since Chief Constable Hugh Orde’s claim last Friday that his investigators believed the IRA carried out the record bank raid.
Conservative leader Michael Howard has signed an early day motion from the Reverend Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists calling for all allowances and privileges to Sinn Féin’s four MPs to be withdrawn.
Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell also launched a hard hitting attack on Sinn Féin, insisting there was no way open in any political progress for any party or politician who owed allegiance to the IRA.
Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble accused republicans of spurning every attempt to draw them fully into the democratic process and warned the British government it was being ridiculed every time it gave Sinn Féin another chance.
Even Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy has admitted it is difficult to predict when power sharing might be restored and has hinted he will look at other proposals on how to move the process forward.
As Sinn Féin prepared to kick off its centenary celebrations in Dublin tonight, Mid Ulster MP Martin McGuinness repeated warnings to supporters to expect more attacks on the integrity of his party.
After he was unanimously backed to defend his Westminster seat at the next election, the former Stormont Education Minister said: “The last couple of weeks is only a sample of what our political opponents in both Britain and Ireland will throw at us between now and May.
“But we will go toe-to-toe with them and they will not defeat the republican peace strategy. Nor will they stop the march towards a united Ireland.”
Mr Ervine today also called on the IRA to clarify what it meant in recent statements when it said it was preparing to move into a different mode during recent negotiations with the DUP.
“Maybe Gerry Adams should talk to P O’Neill to begin a process of clarification on that issue because that, in itself, could be significant for the atmosphere,” the PUP leader said.
“None of us outside the republican movement knows what ‘a new mode’ means.”
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