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August 08, 2005

Loyalists Blamed For Bomb Attacks

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News about Ireland & the Irish

BB 08/08/05 Loyalists Blamed For Bomb Attacks
SF 08/08/05 Pipe Bomb Attacks On North Antrim Catholics
BT 08/08/05 Loyalist Fights For His Life As Feud Rages On
UT 08/08/05 Petrol Bomb Attack In Kilrea
BT 08/08/05 Police Probe 'Race-Hate' Bomb Hoax
UT 08/08/05 Govt Demand Colombia 3 Surrender To Gardai
BB 08/08/05 Colombia Trio Should Stay – Adams
BT 08/08/05 Colombia Three: Challenge To Adams
BT 08/08/05 US Body: Dublin Must Send Them Back
BT 08/08/05 Unionist Fury At SF Welcome For Colombia Three
WS 08/08/05 Forces Trained In N IRL In De Menezes Killing
JN 08/08/05 Opin: No Alliance With Terrorism
NH 08/08/05 PIRA Has Failed Wolfe Tone Republican Test
BT 08/08/05 Opin: Delaying Is Paisley's Adm Of Failure
BT 08/08/05 Opin: In Search Of The New York Irish
DL 08/08/05 Dublin Theatre Festival

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/4131332.stm

Loyalists Blamed For Bomb Attacks

Two pipe bomb attacks in County Antrim are being treated as
attempted murder, police have said.

In the first attack, a device exploded at about 0430 BST,
shattering the window of a van parked in Rosemount in
Cloughmills.

The second bomb was thrown at a house in Cypress Park, a
short distance away, about 45 minutes later. It exploded
showering a living room in glass.

No-one was injured in the attacks which police are blaming
on loyalists.

Both areas were cordoned off for a time while Army
technical experts examined the scenes.

The incidents are the latest in a series of sectarian
attacks which have taken place over the last few weeks in
north Antrim.

Sinn Fein councillor Daithi McKay said that both families
had been attacked by loyalists in the past.

"We have seen churches attacked, businesses attacked and
homes attacked," he said.

"These bombings in Cloughmills were the latest instalment
in this ongoing campaign."

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/08/08 11:11:36 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/10673

Pipe Bomb Attacks On North Antrim Catholics

Published: 8 August, 2005

North Antrim Sinn Fein Councillor Daithi McKay has accused
unionist paramilitaries of being behind two pipe bomb
attacks in Cloghmills last night. One of the devices was
left beside a work van while the other was thrown at the
front of a family home.

Speaking from the scene in Cloughmills Cllr. McKay said:

" For sometime unionist paramilitaries in North Antrim
egged on by the negative political environment created by
the DUP and others in this area have been engaged in a
sectarian campaign against Catholics. We have seen churches
attacks, businesses attacked and homes attacked. Last
nights pipe bombings in Cloughmills were the latest
instalment in this ongoing campaign. Despite this reality
and the difficulties it causes for the wider political
process there has been little focus put into stopping these
attacks from either unionist political party.

" In recent weeks the PSNI have attempted to justify this
campaign by linking it to a planned anti-internment march
in Ballymena. This despite the fact that the campaign pre-
dates that plan and has now continued after the Parades
Commission restricted the march. Given this view from the
PSNI and the complete lack of action so far nationalists
will have little confidence in their willingness to tackle
this ongoing campaign of violence and intimidation.

" I would appeal to nationalists and republicans in North
Antrim to remain highly vigilant in the time ahead as it
seems that unionist paramilitary gangs are intent on
escalating their campaign. I would also once again appeal
to the leadership of the DUP to get a grip on this issue.
Instead of acting as cheer leaders for the paramilitary
gangs they must for the first time make a stand and begin
to treat nationalists in this area with equality and
respect." ENDS

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=655975

Loyalist Fights For His Life As Feud Rages On

By Jonathan McCambridge
08 August 2005

A leading loyalist was today fighting for his life in
hospital amid warnings that the loyalist feud shows no
signs of slowing down.

Lawrence 'Duffer' Kincaid (32), was shot in the chest in
Glenside Park in north Belfast following disturbances in
the Crumlin Road area early yesterday morning.

It is the second time the UVF has targeted Kincaid in less
than a month. His Newtownabbey home was riddled with
bullets two weeks ago.

Police have linked the latest shooting to the ongoing
UVF/LVF feud, which has claimed three lives.

Four men were arrested yesterday, two on suspicion of
attempted murder and two on terrorism charges. One of the
men being questioned on the attempted murder charge was
later released.

Violence erupted yesterday morning when a number of men
went into Glenside Park, off the Crumlin Road.

Loyalist sources claimed a planned attack was thwarted by
UVF members who opened fire first.

Kincaid was hit a number of times just before 6.30am and
taken to the nearby Mater Hospital for emergency surgery. A
woman at the scene was also treated for shock.

Detectives are currently examining a firearm which was
recovered from the scene of the shooting. A crowd of up to
20 loyalists then gathered outside the hospital, but were
held back by police.

One woman who arrived for work said: "I saw a crowd coming
with scarves up over their faces and baseball caps on. I
took to my heels and ran in and they started running too."

Kincaid was later transferred across Belfast to the Royal
hospital where his condition is described as serious.

Loyalist sources today warned that there appeared to be no
signs of any let-up in the feud.

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http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=63522&pt=n

Petrol Bomb Attack In Kilrea

Five Polish people escaped injury after their home was
petrol-bombed in Northern Ireland, police said today.

By:Press Association

One man has been arrested over the attack in Kilrea, Co
Derry .

The device was thrown at the rear of the house in Clarahill
from nearby playing fields just after midnight.

It caused scorch damage to the outside of the property, but
the occupants managed to get out unhurt.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman confirmed
detectives were treating the incident as a racial attack.

Investigating officers urged any witnesses to contact
police.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=655927

Police Probe 'Race-Hate' Bomb Hoax

By Claire Regan
08 August 2005

Police investigating a hoax security alert outside a house
in Armagh city over the weekend said they are looking at a
possible racial motive.

The alert was sparked after a suspicious object was
discovered outside a home in the Navan Court area on
Saturday.

The area was closed off as the item was examined and later
declared an "elaborate hoax".

Police believe the object was left there early on Saturday
morning.

A PSNI spokeswoman confirmed the incident was being treated
as "racial" and appealed for any information on it to be
reported to officers on 02837 523311.

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http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=63535&pt=n

Government Demand Colombia 3 Surrender Themselves To Gardai

The Irish Government today demanded three Irishmen
convicted of training rebels in Colombia surrender
themselves to gardai.

By:Press Association

Social Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan warned they were not
above the law as the Colombian government renewed its call
for the men to be extradited.

"Nobody in the country, these men or anybody else, is above
the law and nobody is below it," Mr Brennan said.

"It would be helpful if they would make themselves
available to the gardai.

"I think they should make themselves available for
discussions with the gardai, particularly on the aspects of
whether or not they breached Irish law.

"If they breached Irish law in regard to passports or re-
entry, then clearly the gardai would want to talk to them
about those allegations."

Mr Brennan also called on Sinn Fein to help locate the men,
who have gone to ground since they surfaced in Ireland
eight months after a Colombian appeals court sentenced them
to 17 years in jail for training FARC guerillas.

"Maybe Sinn Fein can help in that regard by ensuring that
if they have any information as to their whereabouts that
they would discuss with them and ask them to have those
discussions with the gardai as soon as possible," he added.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said he is "delighted"
that Jim Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley were
back in the country.

Mr Brennan said a complicated legal process lay ahead as no
extradition treaty existed between Ireland and Colombia.

"From the point of view of the Irish Government, it is
quite clear to say that they should talk to the gardai,
that`s urgent," he said.

"The gardai need to investigate what breaches there were of
Irish law.

"This week the Attorney General`s office, the Department of
Justice, the Taoiseach`s office are all studying what legal
options and obligations are available to us."

Mr Brennan said the reappearance of the three men had
caused problems for the Northern Ireland peace process,
which had been boosted by the IRA`s recent decision to
abandon its armed campaign.

Unionists have demanded the extradition of the three men
amid claims their return was part of a deal, and the
Northern Ireland Office has insisted they will be arrested
if they set foot north of the Irish border.

"This Colombia Three thing, we didn`t need this, it
complicates the peace process, it has damaged the peace
process already," Mr Brennan said.

"It has caused damage all round and we could all have done
without it.

"What these men appear to have been involved in is fairly
reckless, it seems to have been a very foolish escapade,
there was a fair bit of anger at their behaviour but that
is now a matter for law to deal with that aspect of it.

"On the political side we have to make sure that even if
there is anger and even if there`s a frenzy that we go the
legal route here, not the political route.

"You don`t jail people for political purposes, it`s a
matter for the law."

Mr Brennan said the situation had also soured relationships
with the US.

"It doesn`t do any good for our relationship with the
United States, we have major investment programmes here
with the United States for example," he told RTE radio.

"We are not harbouring terrorists, we have a common law
system, it is entirely different.

"It`s one thing for the United States to say something like
that, it is a political statement."

Mr Brennan was speaking after Colombian Vice President
Francisco Santos reiterated his call to the Irish
Government to either extradite or imprison the three men.

Mr Santos said the men had been convicted and must serve
their sentence.

"It is very clear, they should come to Colombia and pay the
due they have with Colombian justice, which is a sentence
to 17 years for training a terrorist organisation called
the Farc in bomb-making, in different types of uses of
explosives, which we have seen in Colombia that have become
very, very dangerous and very, very damaging to Colombian
civilians and Colombian military," he said.

"The least we expect from the Irish government is they
either pay their sentence in Irish jails or that they be
extradited.

"How? We do not know exactly at this precise moment."

******************************************

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/4130718.stm

Colombia Trio Should Stay - Adams

Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams has said the three republicans who
returned to Ireland after being given jail terms in
Colombia should not be extradited.

Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan were
sentenced to 17 years in jail but vanished in December 2004
while on bail awaiting an appeal.

They returned to the Irish Republic last week.

Mr Adams said their return had not damaged the political
process and the men should be allowed to stay.

"What's causing the crisis in the peace process, for
example, is the ongoing loyalist feud," he said.

However, the SDLP's Alban Maginness said the men's return
had "undermined the process of restoring the Good Friday
Agreement".

"Either Sinn Fein are naive, which I doubt that they are,
or else they are in denial," he said.

'Opportunism'

"Or alternatively they are quite cynically milking the
situation in order to get a reaction from elements within
the Irish Republic and from unionists."

Ulster Unionist assembly member Michael McGimpsey said
their return could be part of a pre-agreed sequence of
events.

"I think as far as the Colombia three are concerned there
may be a wee bit of opportunism around republicans at this
stage - taking a bit more than they are entitled to and
that's maybe where the Bogota three are coming from," he
said.

"Or it may be simply that it is not a coincidence and a lot
of this is simple denials for public consumption."

Speaking at the weekend, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern
said the men's return had created "enormous difficulties"
for the political process in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ahern said the decision whether or not to extradite the
men would be a matter for the courts alone and that no deal
had been done over the men with Sinn Fein.

On Sunday, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos said
Mr Ahern must "demonstrate his country's commitment to the
global fight against terrorism" by returning the three men.

Warrant

The Colombian police are believed to be preparing an
extradition warrant for the trio.

Currently, the two countries do not have an extradition
treaty.

Intelligence sources believe the three Irishmen left via
Venezuela before going to Cuba, where Niall Connolly had
been Sinn Fein's representative, BBC correspondent Jeremy
McDermott reported from Colombia.

The men, who had been accused of being IRA members, were
arrested in Bogota in August 2001.

They were found guilty of travelling on false passports, in
June 2004, but were acquitted of training Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) guerrillas.

That decision was reversed after an appeal by the Colombian
attorney general and they were sentenced to 17-year terms.

A judge had ordered the men to remain in the country
pending the outcome of the appeal.

An international arrest warrant was issued for them after
they disappeared.

McCauley, 41, is from Lurgan in County Armagh, Monaghan,
58, is from County Donegal and Connolly, 38, is from
Dublin.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/08/08 07:44:39 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=655984

Colombia Three: Challenge To Adams

Minister tells MP to help hand them in

By Gene McKenna
08 August 2005

The Republic's deputy premier Mary Harney has put it up to
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams to ensure the Colombia
Three hand themselves in to the gardai.

She said it would be "an affront to democracy" if Mr Adams
did not co-operate in seeing that this happened.

Ms Harney, in her capacity as acting Justice Minister,
adopted a tough approach on the issue.

"These people cannot play fast and loose with the rule of
law, whether it be smuggling guns or smuggling people."

The Tanaiste accused Mr Adams of being "arrogant and
offensive" after a radio interview in which he said he was
"delighted" that Jim Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin
McCauley were back in the country and denied that their
return was harmful to the peace process.

But their reappearance in the Republic eight months after a
Colombian appeals court sentenced them to 17 years in jail
for training Farc guerillas has caused a political storm
among unionist politicians and with Opposition parties in
Dublin.

As the controversy escalated over their return just eight
days after the IRA statement, it emerged that there has so
far been no official request from the Colombian authorities
for their extradition.

While this is likely to come soon after the Colombian legal
authorities have formulated their case, the fact that there
is no extradition treaty between the two countries presents
the government with a huge dilemma and a major
embarrassment on the international stage.

The Department of Justice said any request for extradition
would be considered, but any extradition proceedings would
have to be in accordance with Irish law.

Colombia's Vice-President, Francisco Santos, said the Irish
government had a "legal and moral obligation" to extradite
the men.

Ms Harney said: "I found the attitude of Mr Adams on radio
amazing. It was arrogant and offensive to ordinary Irish
people."

Mr Adams, she said, spoke of the men as if they had been
"ordinary tourists visiting Colombia".

She said he should co-operate in ensuring they hand
themselves in to the gardai immediately.

"If these men can make themselves available to journalists,
then there is a greater obligation on them to make
themselves available to the gardai."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=655981

Dublin Must Send Them Back: US Body

By Sean O'Driscoll in New York
08 August 2005

An influential Congressional committee is likely to hear
evidence about the reappearance of the Colombia Three,
senior political advisors today told the Belfast Telegraph.

In a strongly worded statement, a source representing the
chairman of the International Relations Committee, which
overseas Congressional legislation on foreign policy, said
that the Irish government should honour its commitment to
extradite the three for "helping to train narco-terrorists
in our own hemisphere".

Speaking on behalf of committee chairman, Congressman Henry
Hyde, he said the US hoped the Irish government had not
made a deal with the IRA as the issue "had nothing to do
with Northern Ireland" and related to the drug war in the
United States' own 'neighbourhood'.

He said that the US has made tremendous progress in
Colombia in recent years and that the Colombia Three was
one event that set it back. "The US takes this issue very
seriously," he said.

"We hope the Irish government honours its agreements and
carries out the Interpol warrant for these three Irishmen
who are wanted on serious charges by the Colombian
government after conviction for helping to facilitate the
training of narco?terrorists in our own hemisphere," he
added.

He said that the republican movement had created a very
difficult situation for the Taoiseach.

"With friends like these guys, who needs enemies?" he
added.

The committee is due to hold a hearing later this year on
the US funding for Colombia, at which time it is likely to
hear evidence on progress in the case.

In March 2002, the committee held hearings on the Colombia
Three and heard evidence from CIA operatives and others who
were monitoring links between the Colombian rebel group,
FARC, and international terrorist groups.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=655928

Unionist Fury At SF Welcome For Colombia Three

By Michael McHugh
08 August 2005

Unionists have reacted angrily to Sinn Fein's welcome home
for the Colombia Three.

Speaking yesterday Gerry Adams said the return of the
controversial trio would not cause a crisis in the peace
process, a claim refuted by the DUP.

Jim Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley are back
in the Republic of Ireland eight months after a Colombian
appeals court sentenced them to 17 years in jail for
training FARC guerillas.

Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson said the matter was a
test of Sinn Fein's commitment to peaceful means.

"The reality is that the Colombia Three are international
terrorists and fugitives from justice and if Gerry Adams
wants to become a democrat then he needs to realise that
means upholding the rule of law," he said.

"It remains our view that these men should be extradited to
Colombia to face justice for the crimes they have
committed."

Mr Adams has blamed any current crisis on unionists
stalling plans to kickstart power-sharing talks in the
aftermath of the IRA's July 28 statement ending its armed
campaign.

Speaking on radio, the Sinn Fein president said of the
Colombia Three: "This is not causing a crisis in the peace
process.

"What is causing a crisis in the political process is the
refusal or the failure by the unionists to share power with
the rest of us at this time."

Mr Adams said he learned the trio were back in Ireland
shortly before the news became public at 5pm on Friday.

He added: "I'm delighted the three of them are back.

"I'm delighted for themselves as individuals, but I'm
especially delighted for their families."

"They're back and that is a good thing."

Mr Adams insisted that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern should uphold
the rights of the men as Irish citizens and not to
extradite them back to Colombia.

Acknowledging that due process through the courts must be
observed, he added: "These men should not be extradited
under any circumstances whatsoever.

"Most sensible people, if they're reasonable about these
matters, would have a view that the Irish Government has a
responsibility to uphold the rights of citizens, and that
includes the rights of these three Irish citizens," he told
RTE Radio.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/aug2005/mene-a08.shtml

Forces Trained In Britain's Dirty War In Northern Ireland
Involved In De Menezes Killing

By Julie Hyland
8 August 2005

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the author

The admission that army special forces were involved in the
police execution of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes
confirms that the techniques perfected in the dirty war
conducted by British imperialism in Northern Ireland are
now being employed on the streets of Britain.

The Guardian reported August 4 that "a new army special
forces regiment was involved in the operation" that
resulted in de Menezes being killed with eight bullets,
seven to the head, in a London subway carriage on July 22.

Whitehall sources had confirmed, the newspaper continued,
that the "Special Reconnaissance Regiment, set up in April
to help combat international terrorism, was deployed in the
surveillance operation" that led to the innocent
electrician's death.

The report continued that the unit, "modelled on an
undercover unit that operated in Northern Ireland, were
engaged in 'low level intelligence behind the scenes' when
the Brazilian was shot.

"There was 'no direct military involvement in the
shooting', the sources added."

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced the formation of the
Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) on April 5. In a
written statement to Parliament he said that the unit,
which would become operational the following day, was in
line with the "Strategic Defence Review (SDR) New Chapter
published in July 2002 [which] stated that we planned to
enhance and build upon the capabilities of UK Special
Forces."

The SRR "has been formed to meet a growing worldwide demand
for special reconnaissance capability," Hoon's statement
continued.

"[T]his regiment will provide improved support to
expeditionary operations overseas and form part of the
Defence contribution to the Government's comprehensive
strategy to counter international terrorism. The SRR will
bring together personnel from existing capabilities and
become the means of the further development of the
capability. Due to the specialist nature of the unit, it
will come under the command of the Director Special Forces
and be a part of the UK Special Forces group."

The Scotsman, April 6, reported, "The Special
Reconnaissance Regiment is expected to play a key role in
hunting down insurgents in Iraq and in the forthcoming UK-
led operation against al-Qaeda remnants—including Osama bin
Laden—in Afghanistan.

"Members will be expected to infiltrate terrorist
organisations and identify targets to be attacked by other
units."

It continued, "Once SRR surveillance teams have identified
human targets, other units will then eliminate them. It is
understood that the new regiment will be based alongside
the SAS at Stirling Lines barracks, near Hereford."

De Menezes was certainly "eliminated." But there was no
"intelligence" on the young man, much less anything to
connect him with Al Qaeda or any other terrorist group.

According to the Guardian's August 4 report, de Menezes was
targeted because the three-storey block of flats in which
he lived in south London was under surveillance following
the failed bombing incidents on July 21.

"Mr. De Menezes was followed and seen boarding a No 2 bus,
heading north towards Stockwell," the newspaper said.
"Boarding with him, it is understood, were several
plainclothes officers. Defence sources refuse to comment on
suggestions that they may have been members of the Special
Reconnaissance Regiment.

"Other officers followed the bus in vehicles. When it
became clear that Stockwell tube was his possible
destination, a team of armed police officers in plain
clothes were alerted. They fired eight shots at Mr. De
Menezes at close range after the 27-year-old Brazilian ran
onto a tube train."

Why police apparently allowed a man they considered to be a
potential suicide bomber to board a bus remains
unexplained. As does virtually everything else to do with
de Menezes' killing. But the SRR's pedigree gives some
indication of why those involved in the young man's death
felt they could act with impunity as judge, jury and
executioner.

The "personnel from existing capabilities" announced by
Hoon to constitute the SRR are drawn from the death squads
employed by the British state for decades in Northern
Ireland.

According to a Telegraph report July 25, 2004 that revealed
plans to establish the SRR, the new unit "will at first be
formed from members of a highly secret surveillance agency—
the Joint Communications Unit Northern Ireland—which has
worked in Ulster for more than 20 years. The unit, which
worked with the SAS, MI5 and the Special Branch, perfected
the art of covert surveillance in urban and rural areas and
created a network of double agents who supplied the British
security forces with intelligence on terrorist attacks."

A report in the Sunday Times, also July 25, 2004, said,
"More than 150 members of the 14th Intelligence and
Security Company have already left Northern Ireland" to
form the SRR's "nucleus."

From the early 1970s, British imperialism waged a notorious
dirty war against the Republican movement in Northern
Ireland as part of its efforts to maintain control of the
six counties. The 14th Intelligence was one of three army-
sponsored undercover squads dedicated to this aim. The
others were the Force Research Unit (FRU) and 22 Squadron.

In 1998, leaked military intelligence documents confirmed
that these methods included the assassination of
Republicans.

In March that year, the Sunday Telegraph alleged that
secret documentation it had received showed that the FRU
"was complicit in a series of murders carried out by the
Ulster Defence Association (UDA) between 1987 and 1990."
The UDA is a fascistic, loyalist paramilitary organisation,
supporting union with Britain.

The Sunday Telegraph's article also revealed the role
played by Brian Nelson, a key FRU operative. Nelson became
the UDA's primary intelligence officer and passed on the
names, photographs and addresses of suspected IRA members
from Army Intelligence records to UDA gunmen for
assassination.

Nelson was implicated in some in 15 murders, 15 attempted
murders and 62 conspiracies to murder. These included the
killing of Belfast solicitor Patrick Finucane, after he
successfully defended an IRA man. Finucane was murdered at
his home in 1989 in front of his wife and children.

Nelson was arrested in 1990 and stood trial for murder in
1992. In a deal struck with the attorney general at the
time, Patrick Mayhew, Nelson agreed to plead guilty to
lesser charges and was jailed for 10 years, of which he
served just six.

The British state was forced to convene an official inquiry
into collusion between the UDA and the British army as part
of its efforts to establish power-sharing structures in
Northern Ireland under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. The
investigation, headed by police chief John Stevens,
confirmed Nelson's role in UDA assassinations. But every
attempt was made to suppress Steven's findings and prevent
further information being revealed about the extent of the
FRU's activities.

The British state defended its murderous undercover
operations, claiming they were directed only against known
IRA terrorists. But dozens of Catholics with no connection
to the IRA were killed by loyalist paramilitaries. In fact,
the FRU's activities were deliberately aimed at stoking
sectarian tensions in the north, so as to create the
necessary climate for Britain's ruling elite to maintain
its colonial occupation through police-state methods.

The FRU was formally wound up in 1990, but reconstituted in
a different guise.

Scotland's Sunday Herald, July 24, confirmed that in the
wake of the July 7 terror bombings in London that killed 56
people, "Techniques used by the SAS-trained 14th
Intelligence Company—also known as The Det—in tracking and
killing terrorists are being taught to British police
firearms teams such as SO19 and to MI5.

"The methods of British military intelligence's Force
Research Unit (FRU) and its successor outfit, the Joint
Support Group (JSG), in recruiting and handling double-
agents in terror cells are also being taught to MI5 and
Special Branch."

The Sunday Mirror, July 17, 2005, also reported that the
SRR had become active in the capital. It quoted an army
source stating, "The regiment has been given a number of
minor tasks in Iraq where they have been working with the
SAS but this is its first major challenge."

The cold-blooded shooting of de Menezes is the first
manifestation of how they intend to rise to this challenge.

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http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050808/OPINION01/508080345/1015

Opin: No Alliance With Terrorism

(Original publication: August 8, 2005)

Today, with terrorism's face so particularly evil, so
sinister in its killing of the innocent, its relentless
attempt at mass fear so strong, no legitimate group
fighting for a people's recognition and rights can be even
remotely connected to violence. That is why the Irish
community in Rockland must welcome the decision by the IRA
to disarm.

The legitimate grievances against British rule in the north
of Ireland can no longer be married to the gun. The road to
peace must not be paved with bullets, killings and
retaliation. In the 9/11 world, in the aftermath of Madrid
and London, there can be no brothers of violence in Eire.

Rockland, where so many people of Irish descent now reside
and which was built in part by Irish immigrants in many
industries, must applaud the work of Gerry Adams and Martin
McGuinness, leaders of Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican
Army's political ally, as being instrumental in brokering
disarmament. Both men have visited this county in the quest
for full Irish political and economic rights.

It is the hope that the British and the Unionists in
Northern Ireland will now agree on a road to peace. The IRA
order to disarm effectively calls for an end to violence as
a means of challenging British rule in Northern Ireland. It
is both historic and a measure of humanity and hope. Too
many innocents have been lost on both sides in the quest
for "peace."

Now the willingness to negotiate must be the only missiles
fired by both sides, missiles of politics and diplomacy.

We also hope the IRA move leads to peace and security for
Rockland's own Brian Pearson, whose immigration status has
remained in limbo. Pearson, a 54-year-old Pearl River
carpenter and former member of the IRA, spent 12 years in a
Northern Ireland prison for his role in the 1975 bombing of
a Royal Ulster Constabulary police barracks. No one was
injured, and in 1997 he was granted political asylum by the
United States after a federal judge saw his action as
political and not criminal. Yet, Pearson's "deferred
action" status can be reviewed every few years and he could
be deported.

This is a family man of peace who has been a fine
Rocklander. With the disarming of the IRA and the move
toward peace, we urge that he be granted citizenship.

Says Pearson, who notes that the IRA announcement shows it
is interested in peace and the successful implementation of
the 1998 Good Friday Agreement calling for disarmament,
political reform and stronger ties between the North and
the Irish Republic: "In order to get things right, we have
to build a strong foundation with peace and justice."

Yes, and that pursuit must, in today's world of fearful
terrorism, must be utterly and absolutely separated from
any form of violence. Otherwise, the cause is not peace. No
more innocents must die.

******************************************

http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2005/aug6_SF_fail_Tone_test__PMurphy.php

http://www.irishnews.com/

PIRA Has Failed Wolfe Tone Republican Test

(Patrick Murphy, Irish News)

Does the Provisional IRA's decision to abandon violence
mean that it is no longer republican?

The question of what exactly defines republicanism is of
more than academic importance.

In future elections non-unionist voters will choose between
two identical political parties, one labelled nationalist
and the other republican.

So is republicanism a political philosophy or just a
military strategy for nationalists?

History shows a continuous – if sometimes erratic – thread
of distinctive political thought from the time of Wolfe
Tone (1763-98) which might broadly be labelled republican.

It contains three core elements – separatism from Britain,
non-sectarianism and, in modern language, socialism.

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the PIRA
failed on all three.

Separatism from Britain was abandoned in the Good Friday
Agreement.

Sinn Féin is not quite non-sectarian in that it has
significantly alienated Protestants.

Gerry Adams has befriended US businessman Bill Flynn
somewhat more than he has reached out to working class
Protestants.

Which of those might Tone have deemed men of no property?

Of course, Tone may have got it wrong – men of no property
may not be worthy of political investment and non-
sectarianism may not be all that feasible in our society.

But it is hard to deviate from Tone's teachings and, at the
same time, claim to be his followers.

So, if the PIRA are not quite disciples of Tone, where are
their historical origins?

Their philosophy might be more accurately traced to Daniel
O'Connell (1775-1847) who achieved Catholic Emancipation in
1829.

Among other things, this allowed Catholics to sit in
parliament without taking the oath of supremacy to the
crown – which has a familiar echo in the Stormont Assembly.

He also failed to break the political union with Britain –
as did Sinn Féin.

Founded in reaction to the 1969 sectarian pogroms in
Belfast, the PIRA were not so much republicans as Catholics
with guns.

In the light of circumstances at the time, this was
understandable.

Bombay Street was not exactly the place for a prolonged
debate on the true meaning of republicanism.

But when that debate did take place later in the cages of
Long Kesh the Provos still failed to identify their enemy.

Thus they still think that people like the DUP's Arlene
Foster are the enemy, simply because she thinks she is
British.

In failing to differentiate between the British government
and the Protestant people in Ireland, they accepted the
British view that violence here was simply a sectarian
conflict.

British support for loyalist paramilitaries reinforced the
point.

Under a growing northern influence the PIRA leadership
drifted into the sectarian consequences of their long war.

The original demand of 'Brits out' was replaced with a
demand for religious equality within – a campaign first
begun by Daniel O'Connell.

So the PIRA settled not for beating the British but for
beating the Protestants who have been reduced to political
confusion and paramilitary incest.

The point was not missed by Britain, which is now backing
Catholics to implement its policy here.

Just as the London government funded Maynooth from 1795 to
1870 to win over Irish Catholic opinion, Tony Blair walks
the corridors of Downing Street with Sinn Féin leaders for
the same purpose.

Unionists see the disbandment of the RIR as the British
government carrying out Sinn Féin policy. But they miss the
point.

Sinn Féin is now carrying out British policy here because
Tony Blair is relying on it, rather than unionism, to
administer British rule in Ireland.

Thus Sinn Féin has replaced the old unionist party as the
largest, richest and best organised political party in
Stormont.

Britain has no qualms about changing sides here. Sinn Féin
offers political stability, a

clamp-down on armed republican groups, the pursuit of new
Labour's social and economic policies and a place in
history for the retiring Tony Blair.

London will now happily allow Catholics to set the
political agenda in pursuit of British interests here.

For example, the refusal to accept some Protestants into
the PSNI may have a political rationale but it is anti-
Protestant discrimination in that it denies employment on
the basis of religious belief.

This smacks more of O'Connell than Tone.

Without adherence to Tone's republican philosophy, the
PIRA's surrender of guns was easy because it meant the
abandonment of a technique rather than a principle.

It therefore seems reasonable to conclude that the PIRA are
not republicans – not because they gave away their guns but
because of the reason they took them up in the first place.

August 8, 2005

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/story.jsp?story=655934

Opin: Delaying Devolution Is Paisley's Admission Of Failure

By Sir Reg Empey, Leader of the UUP

08 August 2005

The reality of recent events is that Tony Blair and Peter
Hain have pulled one over on Ian Paisley and his party and
the rest of us. The Prime Minister is clearly determined to
feel the hand of history on his shoulders. It is undeniably
the case that the government is prepared to pay more
attention to Republicans than to Unionists. Surprise
surprise! Ruairi O'Bradaigh, President of Republican Sinn
Fein, commented that eventually the IRA would, as he put
it, 'don the uniform of the enemy'. The decision last
Tuesday to defer the re-appointment of the Policing Board,
another blatant act of political interference, is designed
to help Republicans come on board. Had the Secretary of
State not intervened they would have been locked out of the
Policing Board for several years. So certainty number one
is that Sinn Fein will join the Policing Board in due
course.

It is clear, reading through Peter Robinson's recent
opinion article in this newspaper (Aug 2, 2005), that there
is no new thinking from the DUP. This would explain the old
tried and tested 'blame the UUP' tactic.

The outworking of recent concessions following the IRA
statement is just a re-heated version of last December's
failed deal. Sinn Fein will have negotiated this week's
concessions in December, whether the DUP had any knowledge
or not. But last December proved that the second certainty
is that this will all end up with the DUP in government
with Sinn Fein, even if it takes a bit longer.

In the meantime, we are getting back to the bad old days of
the 1985 Diktat, with Direct Rule Ministers ploughing on
with decisions whether or not they are supported by, or
even in the interests of, the local community. Parallel
with this is the unchecked growth of North/Southery. With
Stormont suspended, unionism has no veto on what happens
between two sovereign governments. The imminent creation of
speaking rights in the Dail for Northern Ireland MPs and
MEPs is a classic example of this.

With the institutions suspended, a unionist-free zone
emerges where republicans can work away with the Government
and unionists are back in the role of spectators.

This, in a nutshell, is the crux of unionism's dilemma. Our
sovereign government can decide its own policies that it
can pursue without let or hindrance. This happened to David
Trimble and it is now happening to Ian Paisley, but on a
grander scale.

It must be becoming clear to the DUP now that it is not as
easy as they thought, and that a determined British
Government with its own agenda will pursue its own
interests despite what Ian Paisley says or threatens.

There is great anger within the pro-Union community about
recent Government decisions concerning Sean Kelly, the RIR
and the Policing Board. Nevertheless, we must look ahead to
the consequences of a long period of Direct Rule;
Republicans have no problem with it, as they are only
interested in dealing with the British Government. The only
losers are unionists. We will be condemned to be observers
in our own country with little or no influence. Within two
years, Sinn Fein could be either in or propping a Dublin
Government, as their agenda is now focused on the South.

To announce that devolution is to be put off for at least
two years, as Ian Paisley has done, is in fact an admission
of his failure. Who believes that this will advance the
cause of unionism? We should be working to get the
devolution we were promised, free from the influence of
paramilitaries, not working to leave an open goal for Sinn
Fein, which, I fear, Ian Paisley, in his justifiable anger,
has done.

The task for all unionists is not to get mad, but to get
even. This means justice and equality. Signing up for two
more years of exclusion doesn't cut the mustard.

When negotiations start up again, as they surely will
eventually, I am prepared to work with like-minded
unionists to get the best deal for all unionists. I am not
prepared to avoid the challenge we must face sooner or
later.

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/story.jsp?story=655937

Viewpoint: In Search Of The New York Irish

HILLARY CLINTON: It's not as simple as you think, Senator

08 August 2005

Senator Hillary Clinton must think she is an expert on
Northern Ireland, on the strength of her few visits here.
She believes that all the demands about what the IRA needed
to do have been met - before their statement has been
tested - and that the pressure is now on the DUP to share
power in government.

In her opinion, the IRA has "called Ian Paisley's bluff",
since all the obstacles he could place in the way have now
been cleared. While President Bush has hailed the potential
in the IRA statement, waiting for deeds to match the words,
Senator Clinton is ready to treat Sinn Fein, eight months
after the Northern Bank raid, like any other democratic
party.

As someone who is tipped to be the next US President and
has a re-election battle to fight next year, she is clearly
trying to widen her appeal within New York's Irish
community. It has always given strong support to Sinn Fein,
even during the worst of the Troubles, and will be
impressed to hear her give republicans her seal of
approval.

But is she justified in saying that the DUP has been
bluffing in its demands for the IRA to go out of business
and for their guns to be decommissioned transparently? Is
it not because unionists of all hues, like the British,
Irish and US governments, have insisted on the IRA ending
their war that Gerry Adams appealed to them to embrace
democracy?

The pressure has been on the IRA, rather than the
unionists, ever since the al-Qaida threat emerged in the
9/11 attacks. Republicans have finally committed themselves
to peace, according to their statement, because terrorism
was no longer an option.

Senator Clinton also offered her opinion about the
leadership of the DUP, revealing that Ian Paisley's
"intransigent views" were not shared by younger members of
his party. If this is so, and she claims to have met them,
she is better informed than the local political pundits.

Much of her interview with the Belfast Telegraph was
concerned with President Bush, whom she criticised for not
being interested enough in Northern Ireland. He had
accepted a lower profile for the US special envoy, she
said, whereas he now had an opportunity to send someone
here to signal his personal interest in the peace process.

Senator Clinton is canvassing for Irish votes, so she draws
a distinction between IRA and al-Qaida terrorism that
unionists would contest. If she wants to retain the respect
she had, she needs to spend more time studying our complex
problems.

******************************************

http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm/loc/1/pt/0/spid/E0A26F2D-703A-4A7A-B123BB149ED552D1.htm

Dublin Theatre Festival

30-Sep-2005 to: 15-Oct-2005

The programme of events for Dublin Theatre Festival just
announced!

The Dublin Theatre Festival will run for an extended period
this year (30th September until 15th October) and will
incorporate new initiatives. A colourful and global line-up
of productions will be performed. Plays from as diverse
countries as Peru and Lithuania, South Africa and Russia
will be presented.

The Dublin Theatre Festival will feature the prominent
Irish commission of the year, The Bull. This new Irish
piece was inspired by the novel (An Tain) and created by
the Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre. The Gate Theatre will
celebrate the 75th birthday of Harold Pinter by producing
some of his main stage dramas. The Gate will also hold a a
dramatised reading by Harold Pinter of his own play Family
Voices.

Other highlights include a production of Laurel and Hardie
at the Olympia Theatre and a Shakespearean Series entitled
Such Sweet Thunder. The highly controversial political
drama Bloody Sunday: Scenes from Saville Inquiry will make
its Ireland premiere. The Broadway production and two
time Tony Awards Winner of I am my Own Wife will be
performed.

A special tribute to the bicentenary anniversary of Hans
Christian Anderson will take place as part of the Theatre
Festival's new Family Series. Dublin Theatre Festival have
also introduced another new initiative known as Theatre
Olympics. Festival Goers can enjoy a series of workshops,
exhibitions and forums that will compliment the main
productions.

This year's Dublin Theatre Festival promises to be a highly
entertaining Dublin festival focusing on the themes of
passion, politics and betrayal. This Dublin Theatre
Festival offers a wealth of Irish and International
performances and workshops and new initiaitives well-worth
experiencing.

----
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