Assembly calls for 'open, transparent' bomb probe
Thursday, 16 October 2008
by Emma Stewart
The NI Assembly this week stood behind an amended motion calling for an 'open' and 'transparent' investigation by both the British and Irish governments into the Omagh bomb atrocity.
Despite controversy surrounding the 'significant' amendment tabled by the DUP, the Alliance Party, SDLP and Sinn Fein did not force a divide, allowing it to pass unopposed in the name of 'sensitivity' and unity.
Acknowledging the ongoing civil case being pursued by some of the families, members were asked by the Deputy Speaker to 'behave responsibly', so that their comments could not be seen to prejudice any future court proceedings.
The Alliance Party's original motion - "That this Assembly calls for the establishment of a formal, cross-border, legally binding process, designed to secure full disclosure from the Intelligence Services and Security forces in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, to establish what relevant information they had before, and immediately after, the attack which killed 29 civilians on 15 August 1998" - was proposed by member David Ford, who called it "possibly, the most important motion that the Assembly has debated since March 2007".
Purpose
Defending his party's stance on the motion, and calling for cross-party unity on the issue, Mr Ford said: "The purpose of the motion is to consider what the organisations that were, and are, responsible for security on both sides of the border now need to do. It is not just about the past and about Omagh, but about learning lessons so that future generations are protected.
“In recognising that the victims of the Omagh bombing came from all sections of the community and from three nations, it is important that the Assembly unite in support of the families and all those who suffered, and, therefore, in support of the motion."
Making reference to the Panorama programme which levelled criticism at Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), he said that the failure to get answers to questions surrounding the information held by security services prior to and following the attack, "calls into question the promises of the then Chief Constable, Prime Minister and Taoiseach about leaving no stone unturned."
Although acknowledging that the PM has called for a review by the Intelligence Services Commissioner of the information that was available, he said that the "Prime Minister's record on dealing with the security services is not one of openness and transparency, and it does not inspire confidence".
Motion 'flawed'
The focus of the Alliance motion, he emphasised, is "not on the perpetrators", but instead is designed to "send a clear message to the security services on both sides of the border about what future generations can expect".
However, proposing a 'significant' amendment to a motion which he described as "flawed and weak in its content", West Tyrone DUP MLA, Tom Buchanan, said that it would "bring neither justice nor closure for the families of Omagh".
“It fails to condemn those who carried out the atrocity, and it also fails to request the Government to act with urgency," he said.
“The motion is rather open-ended and fails to call for action to be taken in an open and transparent way; such action would command the support of the entire community."
The DUP's amended motion - ultimately carried - stated: "That this Assembly condemns the republican terrorists responsible for the murder of the 29 people and two unborn children in Omagh on 15 August 2008; recognises that they alone were responsible for this tragedy; notes the recent revelations about the possible breakdown in the provision of information which may have assisted in the prevention of the bombing; and calls on the UK Government to urgently institute a process to investigate the matter (i) in a way which is open, transparent, and commands the confidence of the community; and (ii) in co-operation with the Government of the Republic of Ireland."
Closure
Urging the Assembly to stand united for the sake of those affected by the 1998 car bomb attack, Mr Buchanan said: "I have no doubt that, on many occasions, just as those families thought that they were reaching closure, they were disappointed simply because all the i's were not dotted and the t's were not crossed, resulting in the case falling foul of the judicial system."
Justifying the DUP's amendment, he said: "Over the years, while the focus of blame has been put on the security forces and the intelligence services for failings on their part as they sought to put together a case and gather evidence to bring the perpetrators to justice, those republican terrorists have been let off the hook. If we want to see justice done and closure reached for the families in Omagh, we must focus our attention on those who orchestrated, planned and carried out that atrocity."
However, he expressed his belief that those who withhold relevant information "are as guilty of that atrocity as those who carried it out. A clear message must be sent from the House today; if anyone in the communities or in Government circles are withholding that information, they are as guilty as the people who carried out that terrible atrocity on the people in Omagh."
Commitment
West Tyrone Sinn Fein MLA Barry McElduff, addressing the Assembly, agreed: "There is concern about the British Government's and the Irish Government's commitment to a truth-recovery process."
UUP MLA for Strangford, David McNarry, expressed his support for the DUP amendment: "The least that the Omagh families could expect is the establishment by the United Kingdom Prime Minister and the Taoiseach of a properly instituted, cross-border inquiry to determine the truth of that wicked and cruel event in Omagh.
“The cross-border nature of such an inquiry remains essential because of the legal technicalities of operating across two legal jurisdictions and two legal frameworks with different methods of evidence taking," he said.
“For heaven's sake, as a house of representatives, let us show solidarity with the Omagh families, and let us do so accordingly and, it is hoped, with dignity and integrity in their names and at their request."
SDLP MLA for West Belfast, Alex Attwood, agreed that unless intelligence is shared and an independent inquiry commissioned, "stones will be left unturned".
“People in London, and, I fear, in Dublin, do not intend to answer those questions. We must ensure that they do," he said.
‘Full disclosure'
MP for West Tyrone, Pat Doherty, agreed that a "full disclosure of all the facts from both the Irish and British Governments" is essential, adding that "the so-called republican dissident group that was responsible for the Omagh bomb must be totally condemned. It should disband -- it serves no cause, it has no strategy, it has no public support, and it is heavily infiltrated."
Calling for unity on the amended motion, former First Minister, Rev Dr Ian Paisley, said: "It would be a tragedy if the House did not unite tonight. I do not see any reason why the matters, which are being dealt with in various ways, should not be agreed. The people of Northern Ireland, the people of the South of Ireland and the people of the world would then know that, on this matter, we are one."
Fermanagh and South Tyrone UUP MLA, Tom Elliott, calling for GCHQ's role to be 'fully investigated and the findings openly and transparently shared with the public', said: "It must be recognised, and never forgotten, that the sole responsibility for the Omagh bombing lies with republican terrorists who paid no regard to the sanctity of human life, who were barbaric in their intent, and whose cause can never be justified through violence or abuse either here or further afield."
On supporting the DUP amendment, he said: "If we call for full disclosure, there is a danger that live intelligence operations will be compromised. With the current levels of dissident republican activity, that might put other lives at risk, and it is a step that the Ulster Unionist Party is not prepared to take."
Responding to criticism over his party's amendment, and the suggestion that it was made without consultation with those affected by the bomb, DUP peer Lord Morrow - who has vowed to raise the issue in the House of Lords - strenuously defended his party's position.
‘Clear'
Emphasising that the house must send 'a clear message, not a garbled one', he said: "We tabled the amendment because we felt that the motion did not go far enough ... I want to go the full distance, and I make that very clear."
Alliance Party MLA for East Belfast, Naomi Long, expressed disappointment that the DUP had not approached her party about a "composite approach" to the motion, instead tabling an amendment that could have "forced division".
She said: "Tabling an amendment that runs contrary to some of the content in the motion makes it incredibly difficult to achieve a coherent result."
In response, Lord Morrow said: "I am the Chief Whip of the DUP group, which is next door to the Alliance Party, and at no time did any Alliance Party member ever think it worthwhile to knock my door and come round for a consultation."
Ultimately, in seeking to send a "unified message", Assembly members who did not vote positively in favour of the DUP amendment instead abstained, allowing the amended motion to pass unanimously.
Speaking yesterday (Wednesday) Carol Radford, whose brother Alan was killed by the Omagh bomb, said she was "glad it went through", but that their pursuit of justice seems to be diluted at every turn.
Disappointed
“I wasn't there, but from what I hear from the other families I am disappointed that the DUP didn't come out a wee bit stronger. It is always used that we are against the police and that is simply not true. I have always been fully supportive of all the investigations, but if things are going wrong it seems to be that these people are protected.
“The families just want to get to the bottom of this. We have been seeking justice for 10 years - we need an inquiry."
Godfrey Wilson, whose teenage daughter Lorraine was killed in the town centre blast, said they had gone to Stormont hoping to see the Alliance motion "backed 100 per cent", and had been shocked to hear at the last minute of the DUP's amendment which, he says, they simply "weren't expecting".
“To be honest I don't know what way we're left. We'll be approaching the DUP about having a meeting to see what way we go forward from this. It's something we weren't expecting," he said.
“It would have been nice to have been contacted in advance - to have seen the motion, but we weren't given that privilege."
In the wake of collapsed criminal prosecutions , damning indictments of the police investigation and revelations of undisclosed intelligence surrounding the attack, he said that they now have only one way forward.
“With trials having failed the only thing I can now get would be information on what happened before and after - that is the only truth I can get - what caused these cases to collapse.
“It's a simple case of looking for the truth."
