Concerns about deal between Irish Government and Omagh inquiry

CONCERNS have been expressed about the agreement on a Memorandum of Understand between the Omagh Bombing Inquiry and the Irish Government over the provision of information relating to the 1998 atrocity.

Representatives from the Omagh Bombing Inquiry and the Irish Minister for JustIce, Jim O’Callaghan, agreed the document following an Irish Government Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

But, while the document has received widespread political support north and south of the border, the families of those bereaved as a result of the attack almost 27 years ago, have said that more now needs to be done to ensure that the release of documents and other materials is successfully completed.

Omagh solicitor,John Fox, who represents 14 families at the inquiry, said families would be focusing on ensuring that the release of information is done in a ‘transparent manner, is open to scrutiny and is sufficiently independent’.

“They emphasise that the determination of relevancy must be made by the independent inquiry, free from any government interference or overriding objections,” he said.

“It is intended to engage with the Irish Government to discuss the outworkings of the agreement and to consider many matters which it does not deal with.”

Michael Gallagher, whose won Aiden was among those killed in the bombing, said he is disappointed that relatives of the dead had not been included in discussions around the agreement.

“I think it’s tragic that the Government didn’t engage with families, that would have been a hugely important part of this process,” he said, before adding that he had been seeking a meeting with the Government around the practical outworkings of the agreement. These, he said, included whether witnesses from the Republic could be called and whether they would give evidence in person before the Inquiry or give statements in the Republic.

However, Claire Hayes, whose brother, Alan Radford, was killed in the attack, said the understanding is of mutual and neutral standing, and was not made to be intrusive for full investigation nor it it the parallel Inquiry that she has called for.

“The Irish state without any obscure means must fully be open, transparent and committed to treat with the Omagh Inquiry with the response it rightly deserves.

“We, my family, never elected for this Inquiry, we didn’t support the call for it as we know wholeheartedly that the truth will never be known to the public. The Irish Government need to dace the fact that my brother is dead due to their citizens, due to their co-operation in failing tostop their terrorist, sadistic, cold-blooded murderers from making and planting that bomb in my home town, murdering my brother, injuring my mother andkleaving us with a life sentence of grief and torment. This is not enough and it will never be enough.”

Secretary to the Inquiry, Sean Hartley, expressed his gratitude to the Irish government for its repeated commitment to assisting the inquiry.

“This formal agreement between the Inquiry and the Government of Ireland marks a significant step forward in allowing the Inquiry access to material, information and assistance from the Government and agencies in Ireland,” Mr Hartley said.

“Agreements of this nature are not commonplace in Inquiries. On behalf of the Inquiry, I expressed my gratitude to the Government of Ireland for its repeated commitment to assist the Inquiry.”