Ahern demands help of Provos

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday made a direct demand of the Provisional movement to cooperate fully with the PSNI investigation into the murder of Robert McCartney in Belfast.

Mr Ahern, speaking in Dublin, said it was incumbent on everybody who was present in the Short Strand pub on the night the 33-year-old was stabbed to death to come forward and assist the PSNI.

“The only people who have the authority under law and the ability to deal with that is the PSNI. They need cooperation to do that and if the IRA can assist in all of that, then that’s part of the answer,” he said.