McCartney family heads for Washington
Murder victim Robert McCartney’s family will today head for Washington on the next stage of their bid to hound his killers into court.
His five sisters and fiancee Bridgeen Hagans are to meet President George Bush in the White House on St Patrick’s Day. Talks have also been lined up with Senators Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy.
Their high-profile visit has piled further pressure on Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams as he faces a backlash from Irish American supporters wanting answers over alarming allegations of IRA crime.
The party’s pledge to support the McCartneys' bid for justice has already been questioned following revelations that two election candidates and a former city councillor were all in the Belfast pub when the murder gang attacked the father-of-two.
Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness has urged the family to stay out of party politics, while saying it was critical for any witnesses at Magennis’s Bar on the night to provide statements for Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan.
Mr McGuinness warned the family they could risk losing popular support for their campaign.
“The McCartneys need to be very careful,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.
“To step over that line, which is a very important line, into the world of party political politics, can do a huge disservice to their campaign. In fact, it can dismay and disillusion an awful lot of people, tens of thousands of people who support them in their just demands.”
Mr McGuinness later insisted his comments had been taken out of context.
Sinn Féin revealed that local government candidate Deirdre Hargey was in the pub when police first arrived on January.
Cora Groogan, another Sinn Féin candidate, and former south Belfast councillor, Sean Hayes, have also given statements to their solicitors.
All three statements were today sent to Mrs O’Loan’s office. She will forward them to investigating officers.
The involvement of two of the party’s new generation of political representatives will cause a beleaguered and isolated Mr Adams much embarrassment in Washington and New York later this week.
He has already been snubbed three times over St Patrick’s Day events on Thursday and faces tough questioning from the Irish American lobby, including some of his closest supporters.
Senator Ted Kennedy called off planned talks amid allegations of IRA crime operations.
The Sinn Féin leader has also been refused a meeting with President Bush at the White House and he will not be attending the St Patrick’s Day lunch hosted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert.
Mr McCartney’s family believe witnesses to the merciless murder have been frightened into silence by IRA men involved.
Even though the Provisionals have expelled three volunteers, and Sinn Féin has suspended seven members over the January 30 attack, frustrated detectives have yet to charge anyone because no-one has agreed to testify.
One of the three men dismissed by the IRA over the stabbing is due to be interviewed by police.
A solicitor for the man has contacted detectives, and it is believed they plan to interview him at a later date over allegations that he was heavily involved.
So far, police have questioned 11 people over the stabbing, including another senior Provisional dismissed from the organisation because of his suspected involvement.
Meanwhile, it has also emerged that Brendan Devine, an associate of Mr McCartney who survived the attack, has given a video-taped statement to police.
