Irish Newsbriefs, p.m. 4/21/99 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit News from the Wire Services Re: Ireland & the Irish PA 04/21/99 12:54 We'll Do All We Can To Get Ulster Deal -Blair PA 04/21/99 12:27 Ex Soldier Jailed For Transporting Border Bomb PA 04/21/99 11:11 Commission ToRecover Disappeared Bodies Imminent PA 04/21/99 10:55 Police Threats Against Nelson `Stand Up': Ahern PA 04/21/99 08:20 Ireland Invests #Ir75m For It Skills Boost PA 04/21/99 07:52 Adams Welcomes Us Call For Lawyer Murder Probe ****************************** We'll Do All We Can To Get Ulster Deal Says Blair PA 04/21/99 12:54 Copyright 1999 PA News By Martin Evans, Parliamentary Staff, PA News The Prime Minister insisted in the Commons today that the Government would do everything in its power to ensure the successful implementation of the Good Friday peace agreement. Speaking during Prime Minister's Question Time, Mr Blair said he remained convinced that all the parties involved in the talks wanted the peace deal to work. "The most frustrating thing about this whole issue is that they do actually want it to work, they are in my view all of them committed to making it work but we are down to some very great difficulties in getting over the last hurdles that remain." Mr Blair added that the Good Friday agreement remained the best chance people have for a peaceful future in Northern Ireland. Labour's Dr Norman Godman (Greenock and Inverclyde) suggested that one way to smooth the progress of the talks, would be to ensure that the investigation into the murder of human rights solicitor Rosemary Nelson was impartial. Mr Blair replied that the Government was taking every step necessary to ensure that the people who committed the murder were brought to justice. end ****************************** Ex-Irish Soldier Jailed For Transporting Border Bomb PA 04/21/99 12:27 Copyright 1999 PA News A former Irish soldier who was caught transporting a massive bomb across the border on the day the Good Friday Agreement referenda votes were counted last year was jailed for six years by the anti-terrorist Special Criminal Court in Dublin today. Paddy McDonagh, 35, a market trader and married father of four, of Naughton's Close, Hoey's Lane, Dundalk, pleaded guilty to having 938 lbs of improvised explosive mixture, a booster tube and detonating cord with intent to endanger life or to enable another person to endanger life at Carrickaneena, Co Louth, on May 23 last year. The court heard that McDonagh was the driver of a stolen BMW car which was stopped 80 yards from the border by members of the emergency response unit after a high speed car chase on an unapproved road leading to the village of Jonesborough in Co Armagh. Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Finnegan said that the explosives found in the BMW were "far in excess" of the amount used in the Omagh bombing last August in which 29 people died. He said that McDonagh had told police he had been asked to drive the car "as a favour" and he accepted that McDonagh was not a bomber himself. Det Chief Supt Finnegan said police believed a splinter republican group was planning to detonate a bomb in Northern Ireland that night to coincide with the results of the votes. Mr Justice Robert Barr, presiding, said that the explosives were found on a day of "great historical significance" and it appeared that a subversive group that did not support the Good Friday Agreement intended to detonate a bomb in Northern Ireland. The judge said the court had taken into account McDonagh's guilty plea, his lack of previous convictions, and the fact that he had served in the Irish Army for three years. The judge also commended the gardai who intercepted the explosives and said their actions had saved many innocent lives. ****************************** Commission To Recover Bodies Of `Disappeared' Imminent PA 04/21/99 11:11 Copyright 1999 PA News By Melissa Kite, PA News A new commission to oversee the recovery of bodies of missing IRA murder victims could be in operation by the end of the month, it was disclosed tonight. The British-Irish panel will liaise with the terrorists to pinpoint the hidden graves of nine victims known as the Disappeared and return the remains to their families. It will also ensure that no evidence uncovered during the operation can be used to prosecute the terrorists, a move which has angered unionists. Legislation establishing the commission and the amnesty is to be rushed through the House of Commons and the Irish Parliament within the next few days and the laws should come into effect by April 30, sources confirmed. The move will put the ball firmly in the IRA's court to end the misery of the victims's families and reveal where their loved ones are buried. The Provisionals said last month they had relocated the graves of the nine victims, but they refused to give details until they were guaranteed an amnesty. It was also feared the terrorists might demand a ban on post mortems and impose conditions on the type of funeral the families held. The new legislation will include a number of clauses ensuring that any forensic evidence uncovered cannot be used in prosecutions. Seamus McKendry of the group Families of the Disappeared welcomed the move. But some unionists said it was an outrage that valuable evidence would not be used to bring the terrorists responsible to justice. The Rev Ian Paisley, the Democratic Unionist Party leader, said he would vote against the Bill when it came before the House. "Yet another major concession is being made to terrorists at a time when those terrorists are threatening the political stability of Northern Ireland and holding us all to ransom," he said. "Tony Blair is prepared to bomb Kosovo but barter with terrorists in Ulster." It is likely the commission will be made up of three people, one from Northern Ireland, one from the Republic and an international figure. ****************************** Claims Of Police Threats Against Nelson `Stand Up': Ah PA 04/21/99 10:55 Copyright 1999 PA News By Chris Parkin, PA News Allegations of police threats against murdered Northern Ireland civil liberties lawyer Rosemary Nelson "stood up", Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said today. He also highlighted continuing Dublin government concern about the status of an inquiry into the death of Mrs Nelson, whose car was blown up near her home in Lurgan, Co Armagh, last month. Mr Ahern told the Irish parliament he was still seeking assurances about the investigation, centring on nationalists giving evidence without encountering any "difficulties" with the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He stressed his "particular welcome" for the involvement in the inquiry into the death of the solicitor of America's Federal Bureau of Investigation, and said he was pleased that two senior British police officers were also part of the team. But he added: "There are still difficulties, which are the subject of continuing discussions between us and the British government. "But there is the issue of the background of fairly strong allegations of threats and intimidation directed at Rosemary Nelson by RUC officers that I think stand up, quite frankly." Mr Ahern said evidence presented to a separate United States congressional inquiry relating to Mrs Nelson "makes a fairly conclusive story. "I have discussed this with members of Congress. They are of the opinion that these allegations are of more than merit. "Concerns have been raised by probably everybody that I have spoken to about the ability of the RUC to conduct the investigation in an impartial and thorough manner on their own. "That is why the FBI and two separate policing groups are now in. I am interested in getting to the bottom of the case and seeing that the inquiry is carried out properly. "There are many people who are in possession of relevant information who are reluctant to come forward because of the RUC's involvement in the investigation. "We have to try to negotiate with the British government and be satisfied - which we are not yet, but I hope we will be - that the investigation is operated in such a way that all potential witnesses can with confidence come forward. "If we can achieve that I will be happy. If we can't then we will have to look further." Mr Ahern's comments followed an intervention by the United States House of Representatives demanding an independent inquiry into the Nelson murder - a move welcomed by Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. They also coincided with the appearance of a full-page advertisement in today's issue of Dublin's Irish Times newspaper from a group called the Rosemary Nelson Campaign, calling on Mr Ahern to press for demands for an independent, international inquiry into the killing. ****************************** Ireland Invests #Ir75m For It Skills Boost PA 04/21/99 08:20 Copyright 1999 PA News By Ruth O'Reilly, PA News The Irish government today unveiled a IR 75 million scheme to get another 5,400 students into high technology third level courses. The project was also aimed at redressing the Republic's skills shortage - particularly in the computers sector - which has threatened to undermine the country's reputation as the silicon isle. Ireland is the world's second largest exporter of information technology products - surpassed only by the United States. "There is overwhelming evidence that the massive demand on the education system to ensure a sufficient throughput of young people with skills in the technical areas is set to continue," said Education Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin today. Information technology played a critical role in almost every aspect of the global economy, directly and indirectly, meaning demand for high technology skills would remain a feature of education planning in countries seeking inward investment, he added. "The Government is determined that Ireland will maintain its place at the forefront of technological developments worldwide, and investment in education is the key to this." The money will fund 2,400 places for technicians and 3,000 degree places which are expected to start coming on stream in the new academic year this autumn. ****************************** Adams Welcomes Us Call For Lawyer Murder Probe PA 04/21/99 07:52 Copyright 1999 PA News By Chris Parkin, PA News Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams today welcomed a call from American politicians for an independent investigation into the murder of Northern Ireland civil liberties lawyer Rosemary Nelson. Ms Nelson - who represented the nationalist residents in Garvaghy Road, Portadown, Co Armagh, objecting to loyalist Orange Order marches near their homes - was blown up in her car in nearby Lurgan last month. Last night the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution requesting Britain to "launch an inquiry totally independent of the Royal Ulster Constabulary ... on the murder of defence attorney Rosemary Nelson." The resolution also urged Britain to investigate allegations that lawyers in Northern Ireland were "systematically harassed and intimidated" by security forces. The American move coincided with the appearance of a full-page advertisement in today's issue of Dublin's Irish Times newspaper from a group called the Rosemary Nelson Campaign, calling on Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern to back demands for an independent, international inquiry into the killing. Mr Adams - in Dublin today to introduce Sinn Fein elections candidates contesting this year's European Parliament elections on both sides of the Irish border - claimed an independent and internationalised probe was now being sought by the European Parliament, the United Nations and the American Congress. He added: "I particularly welcome this latest US involvement. Ms Nelson was well known in Washington and had given evidence to a House of Representatives Committee looking into civil rights issues." :: Mr Adams dismissed suggestions that the continuing failure of his party's IRA allies to disarm and permit advances in the Good Friday Northern Ireland peace accord would damage Sinn Fein's prospects in June's European poll. He said: "I do not expect our vote to suffer because of the impasse over decommissioning." Together with Mr Adams at today's Dublin news conference were the Sinn Fein chairman Mitchel McLaughlin, who is contesting the Northern Ireland - referred to by the party as the Six Counties - European constituency and four candidates seeking Euro votes in the Irish Republic's four constituencies. ------- Jay Dooling (jdooling@worldnet.att.net) Irish Aires - 90.1FM KPFT in Houston http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Irish_Aires/homepage.htm Dooling & Mabe, CPA http://www.doolingmabe-cpa.com/ ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-04.24.99-12:58:32-12274