Secretary of State must take action on new revelations - Beattie

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Secretary of State must take action on new revelations - Beattie

Speaking as newly released National Archive files indicated that Tony Blair’s government admitted to Sinn Féin that it deliberately “turned a blind eye” to IRA criminality up to and including murders, Ulster Unionist Justice spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA said.

“Turning a blind eye to criminality, robbery, smuggling, overseas ventures aimed at securing funding from the drugs trade for the Provisional IRA are just a few of the revelations contained in newly released papers.  Involvement in murder, directly and indirectly is also claimed in the same papers as well as retaining a military capability linked to Sinn Fein who were playing the peace process card at the time.

“Looking at how the Provisional IRA, and their political wing, operated this is not surprising.  What is surprising is that the UK Government and the Irish Government knew this was ongoing and yet they turned a blind eye. The Columbia three might have been a tipping point but the underlying criminality, punishment beatings and murder, along with the Northern Bank heist, were key elements in a republican strategy of retaining a private army to back up a political gameplan.

“We have long chased down the perpetrators of the terrorist campaign to bring about truth, justice and accountability. We have long seen soldiers being hounded for acting under the direction of senior military commanders and political leaders. It is about time we started to look at the leadership level.

“I have long called for an investigation into those who directed terrorism; those who ordered young men and women onto the streets to maim and murder, losing their own lives at times doing so. I have also called for an investigation into the leadership of Sinn Fein who assisted in the directing of terrorism by promoting and supporting it and condoning its outcome. That call also goes for senior political figures in the UK Government, including the then Prime Minister Tony Blair.

“From the government supplied letters of comfort, which have delayed and denied justice, to turning a blind eye to criminality up to murder it is clear that the UK government have questions to answer. These questions must be asked and the answers must be given. This is not about national security, this is about accountability and those at the top of government and the republican movement must now be held to account.

“It is time the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland took action in regards to what his party did when they were in government in the years leading up to and after the Belfast Agreement.”