Sinn Féin chief stands by IRA's denials

SINN FÉIN president Gerry Adams was last night standing by his party's view that the IRA was innocent of the Northern Bank raid.

While gardaí questioned former Sinn Féin General Election candidate Tom Hanlon about money laundering along with six other people following raids in Cork and Dublin, the West Belfast MP cautioned that people should not rush to judge republicans over the arrests.

Mr Adams, who is preparing to return to Ireland from Spain where he had been on a book tour and meeting Basque and Catalan leaders, said he had no reason to disbelieve the IRA's repeated denials about its involvement in the Northern Bank raid.

"I have asked for a full report from our party head office, so I can deal with this when I return," the Sinn Féin president said.

"I think people have to be very measured.

"As we speak I have no reason to change what I have said publicly.

"But let's be clear, Sinn Féin will not run away from our responsibilities on any of these matters.

"We would not have been able to play the role we have played in the peace process by ignoring issues or by not changing events and developments over the years."

Mr Adams was responding to calls from political opponents for a statement on the latest arrests.

Mark Durkan, the leader of the nationalist SDLP, said that the situation had vindicated his view that the provisional movement was running a very structured criminal enterprise.

"They are filling their coffers from robberies, racketeering, smuggling and money laundering," he said.

"Confronted by any of this, Sinn Féin have quoted their mandate and tried to deny, dismiss and excuse all these crimes."

Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson insisted that it was "crunch time" for the British and Irish governments.

"They must begin to take steps to put the Provos out of business. The IRA are an impediment to peace," Mr Donaldson said.

"They show no signs of being willing to end all of their various illegal activities or decommission their terrorist arsenals.

"There must be no more pussy footing about with this dangerous terrorist and criminal organisation."

Meanwhile, the Irish and British governments and moderate nationalists were last night facing new pressure to turn their backs on Sinn Féin in the political process following the spate of criminal allegations against the IRA.

Democratic Unionist Assembly member Arlene Foster said it was illogical and unreasonable for the governments and Mr Durkan's SDLP to rule out the exclusion of Sinn Féin from the devolved government in The North.

And she also told DUP members in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, that Northern Ireland Paul Murphy's statement to the House of Commons next week would be a defining moment in the peace process.

"For years exclusion has been painted as a harsh and unreasonable measure," the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA said.

"In reality, it is the most logical step in keeping with proper democratic standards. When devolution was brought down in 2002 because of Sinn Féin/IRA activity, and when more than two years later in December 2004 it cannot be revived because of continuing Sinn Féin/IRA activity, is it reasonable to insist that a devolved administration can only exist if it includes Sinn Féin/IRA?"