Ferris welcomes McCabe statement
Sinn Féin TD for Kerry North Martin Ferris has welcomed a statement from the killers of Det Garda Jerry McCabe in which they apologise for his death.
The four men issued the statement from Castlerea Prison in Co Roscommon, where they are serving sentences for Det McCabe's death.
Mr Ferris, who spoke to the men in jail yesterday, said: “This was a difficult decision for the men and their families, particularly as the government had twice agreed to their release.
He said: “They were very concerned that their issue was being used as a stopping block in the process, particularly after the statement from Bertie Ahern. They didn’t want to be seen as blocking any type of progress that had been made on the peace process so that was the reason they took themselves off the agenda effectively.”
Mr Ferris added: “I believe their apology to the McCabe and O’Sullivan families is genuine, as is their desire not to be used as a blockage to on-going efforts to rebuild the peace process.”
He said the party would continue to campaign for the release of the four men but would honour their request that this would not be part of the negotiations.
Delegates at the party’s annual conference in Dublin last week read out messages of support for the men, including one in which said they had been used as a “political football” in recent months.
