Gerry Adams facing intense pressure
05/03/2005 - 08:38:51Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams today faces intense pressure to signal that the party has made a complete break with all criminal activity.
Delegates to the party’s annual conference in Dublin were in sombre mood yesterday as they reflected on the fallout from recent bank robberies, cash laundering rackets and a brutal Belfast murder six weeks ago.
Mr Adams will now have to spell out in clear terms how Sinn Féin can fully commit to democracy in order to join Northern Ireland’s power-sharing talks.
Chief negotiator Martin McGuinness indicated the gravity of the current situation in his opening address yesterday, when he warned of a crisis of confidence in the Republican movement that could unravel the Good Friday Agreement.
Delegates later passed an emergency motion urging suspects in Robert McCartney’s January murder to give themselves up and be answerable to the courts.
A courageous campaign for justice by his family has led to suspects being expelled from the IRA and suspended from Sinn Féin.
Speaking on the McCartney motion, party justice spokesman Gerry Kelly said: “I support the McCartney family in demanding that those responsible should make themselves accountable for their actions.”
Mr McGuinness had earlier said that he was outraged and saddened that IRA members were involved in the murder.
The stabbing of the father-of-two has marked a significant turning point in the public perception of Republican criminality.
Recent opinion polls show that Mr Adams’ personal rating has taken a battering due to criminal links, although core party support has emerged relatively unscathed.
The party has already been snubbed by the White House’s March 17 events and frozen out of power-sharing talks with the Irish Government since January.
A survey in today’s Irish Times shows almost two-thirds of people believe the IRA carried out the pre-Christmas Northern Bank heist.
Over half of respondents (a rise of 17 percentage points in six weeks) are also against Sinn Féin serving in a coalition Government if there was a General Election in the Republic tomorrow.
Party chiefs had planned this weekend’s Ard Fheis get-together to be an opportunity to toast its centenary and to confidently look forward to upcoming Westminster and local elections in May.
Instead, a damaging chain of events has cast a long shadow over proceedings in Dublin’s RDS arena.
A number of lively motions have already been debated, such as the European Constitution, dropping the voting age to 16 and boycotting the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against Israel later this month.
All concerned are now waiting to see whether, during his hour-long televised presidential address that starts at 5pm, Mr Adams will confront the tough questions facing his party.
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