Cabinet to hear garda concerns over McCabe killers

PROPOSALS by the rank-and-file garda union on the continued imprisonment of the killers of Gerry McCabe may be discussed by the Cabinet.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell will brief the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern currently on a tour of six EU countries, on the concerns raised by the Garda Representative Association yesterday.

Following its meeting with the Minister for Justice, the GRA said it was reassured that the killers of Detective Garda McCabe will stay in jail. However, the Government's handling of the prospective release of the four IRA men in Castlerea Prison continued to draw fire from the opposition with Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny questioning Mr Ahern's credibility.

"It should be much easier to believe the Taoiseach of our country rather than have to find out what has been going on behind our backs from the leader of the Sinn Féin Party, which has known links to the Provisional IRA," he said.

Mr Ahern again insisted the McCabe killers would only be freed in the context of a complete end to paramilitarism. "If all those points had been agreed, we would have honoured our commitments. However, that did not happen. I emphasise that we are not talking about one point, but about a whole sequence and range of issues," he said.

Ms Harney said the release of the killers would not be considered except in circumstances in which paramilitary activities had come to a complete end and the IRA was stood down forever.

Mary Harney said those circumstances would also have to include the implementation of all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement and the completion of paramilitary decommissioning, but this was still far off.

Last night, a Government spokesperson said the GRA proposals may go to next Tuesday's Cabinet meeting for consideration.After a two-and-a-half hour meeting at the Department of Justice, GRA general secretary PJ Stone said the delegation received qualified explanations from Mr McDowell on the present situation. Dismissing suggestions the association's stance had dramatically changed, Mr Stone said the GRA would take whatever action was necessary to ensure the men serve their full sentences.

The GRA is getting legal advice on the letter sent by then Minister for Justice John O'Donoghue to the McCabe family on whether it was a legally binding contract. The 1999 letter said the men, who killed Mr McCabe in a foiled post office robbery in Adare in June 1996, did not come within the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and would serve full terms.