Blast victims' relatives snub Ahern visit to Omagh

BERTIE AHERN'S perceived snub of the Omagh atrocity relatives last year was returned in kind yesterday, when the main victims' group snubbed his first visit there since 1998.

As the Taoiseach laid a wreath near the site of the atrocity, the group representing the bulk of the families of the 29 people killed by the bombing were in Dublin, where they met Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny. The group's spokesman, Michael Gallagher, was scornful of the 10 minutes Mr Ahern had allotted to meet relatives. He also described the Nally Report which inquired into allegations that gardaí may have been tipped off about such an eventuality as fatally flawed and a whitewash.

Mr Ahern was fiercely criticised by relatives last year for not appearing in Omagh for the fifth anniversary of the bombing. Instead, his brother, Junior Minister Noel Ahern attended amid accusations that he was hastily dispatched in a face-saving exercise.

The relatives, who have been seeking a face-to-face meeting with Mr Ahern for five years, decided to meet Mr Kenny in Dublin after learning that they would only meet the Taoiseach for 10 minutes and only then with public representatives. Mr Ahern met a small group of relatives in private during the visit, extending the discussions to 30 minutes.

Lawrence Rushe, who lost his wife in the bombing, said the Taoiseach had given "some hope" that those responsible for the atrocity would be brought to justice. He added, however, that after five years, the relatives expected justice and not just hope. Speaking in Omagh, Mr Ahern said the Government was fully committed to find justice.

"We will do everything we can; we will co-operate on every level. This was a huge atrocity; the most savage atrocity of all of the Troubles and we will never let up on our investigations," he said.

On the alleged snub, he responded: "As far as I am concerned, I am meeting with the relatives in total and not as any one group." In Dublin, Mr Gallagher, speaking after his meeting with Mr Kenny, derided the Taoiseach for his decision not to attend the Dáil debate on Nally.

"It's an indication of how the Taoiseach treats victims in this country," he said.

Mr Kenny reiterated that the very least Mr Ahern could do was to make an edited copy of Nally available to the families. He said there was a strong case for a further inquiry to be set up. "The Nally Report is incomplete in that one of the central figures nor any of the families were interviewed by the three-person committee," he said.

Mr Gallagher went further, describing it as fatally flawed: "The way it was set up and the people who were involved meant it did not meet any of the criteria laid down for inquiries in Northern Ireland. Why should we accept a lesser standard?"