Sinn Féin's Mr Gerry Adams called today for the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair to investigate accusations of collusion between the British state, its security forces and paramilitaries in the killing of nationalists in Northern Ireland.
|
|
Mr Gerry Adams
|
Speaking after a meeting in Dublin with the Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, he said recent events, such as the collapse of the trial of a man accused of murdering Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, left questions for Britain to answer.
He also accused the SDLPof making a "major tactical mistake" by deciding to join the board of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Mr Adams said he had written to Mr Blair calling on him to act to investigate Britain's "dastardly" past in Northern Ireland, and had spent the meeting at Government Buildings asking Mr Ahern to put pressure on Britain.
"I think one of the issues for Mr Blair is the deep hurt within the nationalist community, that hundreds of citizens have been killed directly by British forces or indirectly through collusion by British forces and others, and there has never been an acknowledgement of this. The truth is yet to be told about it all," he said.
"This isn't a case of bad apples, this is part of a strategy by a British Government particularly during the Thatcher years - to take out opponents of the state," he added.
Mr Adams renewed his calls for an international judicial inquiry into the murder of Mr Finucane by Loyalists 12 years ago.
The trial of William Stobie, 51, collapsed last week at Belfast Crown Court when a key witness was deemed medically unfit to give evidence.
And former British Army agent Brian Nelson, who warned of the attack on Mr Finucane, was, in March this year, spared a trial in connection with the killing by detectives working under an inquiry headed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens.
Mr Adams also cited the current inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, saying that Britain was "making positive sounds" about it but showing little hard action.
Bereaved relatives and survivors of the 1974 attacks, which killed 33 people and injured hundreds more, have accused Britain of dragging its heels in handing over security documents to the commission investigating the attacks.
PA