Sir - With the bombing of Omagh, the forces of militant republicanism and those intent on wrecking the peace process scored a massive own goal. Rather than losing faith, people are all the more determined to see that the Good Friday Agreement is successful.
Now is the time for our political leaders to keep their cool, avoid being swept up in hysteria, and allow things to run their course so that the men behind this atrocity are brought to justice. Instead of this, however, both governments have begun to put in place a course of action which could severely damage the peace process, put us all back at square one and play right into the hands of those opposed to the agreement.
When the overwhelming majority of people on this island voted Yes to the Good Friday Agreement, they voted for an end to the kind of violence witnessed in Omagh last week. They also voted for a more open society where draconian laws and abuses of power have no place. Among the many words used by people to try to classify the actions of the Omagh murderers, "fascist" stands out quite strongly. I do not believe that our governments have to resort to tactics which can be similarly described in order to beat them. Even after such appalling suffering, I still feel that two wrongs do not make a right. - Yours, etc.,
Derek Kelch,
Foxfield St John,
Raheny,
Dublin 5.