Murphy: Northern Ireland peace process in jeopardy
The Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy has told MPs that the possibility of restoring power sharing in Northern Ireland has been badly damaged by the chief constable’s assessment that the IRA were involved in the Northern Bank robbery.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Murphy said that power-sharing in Northern Ireland cannot be restored until the IRA had given up terrorism and all forms of criminality in which it was involved.
He said that, having been briefed by the chief constable, he had “no doubt” that his opinion that the IRA were behind the crime was well-founded and he stood by the chief constable’s statements on the matter.
The Secretary of State said that it was now for the British and Irish governments and for Parliament to consider what action might be taken against Sinn Fein and in response to the “jeopardy” in which prospect of power-sharing had been placed.
He said that the IRA’s alleged involvement in the robbery had been “deeply damaging” to the political process and stood in stark contrast to the developments in the peace process he had outlined to the House in December 2004.
Mr Murphy also told the House he would have to consider the appropriateness of continuing to pay salaries to members of the assembly.
The IRA denies involvement in last month’s robbery and has been backed by Sinn Fein leaders.
Sinn Fein national chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin responded to Mr Murphy’s statement by saying that his party would not accept lectures from the Government.
He said: “Sinn Fein will not take lectures from any British government on criminality when successive British governments engaged in a policy of state sanctioned murder against the nationalist community through their control and direction of the unionist death squads. The current British government of which Paul Murphy is part continues to cover-up this activity.”
Ian Paisley, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), who met with the Prime Minister today for talks, urged the Government to deal with the “terrorist problem”.
Mr Paisley wants to move the peace process forward by creating an administration in Northern Ireland without Republicans.
