Colombia Three must not hurt Irish-US relations, says envoy

THE Colombia Three issue must not cause difficulties in relations between Ireland and America, US envoy on Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss said yesterday.

He said the re-appearance of the three alleged IRA members in Ireland after eight months on the run from terrorist offences in Colombia was a concern but should not be allowed to sour transatlantic ties.

DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who spent last week holding official meetings in Colombia, said on Sunday that Bogota will serve extradition papers on the Government this week to force Jim Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly serve out their 17-year sentences in South America.