GOVERNMENT REACTION:TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has said the Irish and British governments and all institutions North and South would respond in a united and "seamless" manner to the threat posed by dissident republicans.
Mr Cowen, speaking outside Government Buildings yesterday, said the shooting dead of two soldiers in Co Antrim on Saturday night was an attack on the peace process and the democratic institutions. He said no effort would be spared to bring those responsible to justice.
“These people have no support. They will not succeed. Their actions are entirely futile,” he said.
Mr Cowen emphasised that the response by both governments, the two police forces, the Northern Ireland executive and all parties North and South would be “seamless”.
“We all remain united and steadfast, both governments, all the parties and most importantly, the entire community in Northern Ireland are resolved to win our hard-won peace on this island,” he said.
He said he had spoken yesterday with British prime minister Gordon Brown, First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness about the attack.
Mr Cowen said Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy would meet PSNI Chief Constable Huge Orde this week, saying both police forces were operating seamlessly together.
“Despite the success of the peace process there has been no reduction in the monitoring by gardaí of dissident republican activity. Indeed, extensive and intensive resources are used to deal with that threat on an ongoing basis.
“It’s a matter of public record that there have been many successes in that monitoring and surveillance of potential actions by dissident republicans. That will continue,” said Mr Cowen.
Sinn Féin Kerry North TD Martin Ferris said he would be willing to pass on any information he had to the PSNI on the whereabouts of the killers, but he stopped short of describing the killing of the two British soldiers as murder.
Mr Ferris called for support for the police in apprehending those responsible for the attack. The killers should be tried and brought before the courts and dealt with accordingly, he said.
Mr Ferris, a former member of the IRA, said this was a direct attack on the peace process and not just on British personnel, and it would result in delaying the removal of British forces from the North.
Those who carried the attack out had no support within the nationalist community, he said.
Mr Ferris was speaking on Radio Kerry yesterday. Asked if he would class the attack as murder, he replied: “It is killing. Four people were almost killed. Two people were killed. In the eyes of the people that carried this out, they would not classify it as that.”
Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews said he believed it would be appropriate for President Mary McAleese to attend the funerals of the two soldiers who were shot dead.