Government ‘slithering away’ from McCabe commitment

FORMER justice minister Michael Noonan has accused the government of “slithering” away from a commitment that the killers of Garda Jerry McCabe will not be released early from jail.

The Limerick TD, speaking on RTÉ’s Week in Politics, said that what had been an absolute commitment is now a conditional commitment.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said yesterday the government’s position remains that the IRA members involved in the killing of Garda McCabe will serve their full terms.

But he added that circumstances may change if there was a total end to IRA activities.

The comments follow reports that the government agreed in principle to release the four as part of an aborted deal with Sinn Féin last year. The deal fell through because the IRA subsequent act of decommissioning did not go far enough for the Ulster Unionists.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has denied there was a deal while Tánaiste Mary Harney said she was not going to speculate on what might happen in the event of an agreement. She said the recent International Monitoring Commission report showed a complete end to IRA activity is likely to be a long way off.

But there were reports yesterday that the government has already agreed the four will be released in October if agreement is reached on the restoration of the North’s power-sharing executive.

The McCabe controversy is expected to be raised in the Dáil this week.