Ahern: Dissident threats must be taken seriously

WARNINGS of a return to violence by dissident republicans must be taken seriously, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said.

Mr Ahern joined with his Northern counterpart Ian Paisley and the North’s deputy first minister Martin McGuinness in condemning the threats of renewed terrorist activity that have seen a return to police checkpoints and heightened security measures across the border in recent days.

The three men, speaking as the Government met the Northern Ireland executive at a gathering of the North South Ministerial Council in Dundalk yesterday, also appealed to the general public on both sides of the border to work with the gardaí and Police Service of Northern Ireland to beat those intent on destroying the peace.

“The message today is we ask not only our security forces but all the people to co-operate in this,” he said. “Obviously, this is a small group but you only need a small group of people. We know that from the past. We just have to be vigilant and careful and not to get in any way distracted from what we are working on today.”

Mr Paisley described the threats as a “shadow” on the conference. “I would make an appeal to all decent people in both parts of this island to dedicate themselves to their rejection of the desire to go back to the bad old days,” the unionist leader said.

But the most strongly worded condemnation came from Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness who said those threatening to go on the offensive again were “no-hopers” who were “living on cloud cuckoo land” and needed to “wake up”.

“There are still people in our society who believe that violence is the way forward. Well my message to them is that they who believe that are no-hopers.

“They are people who are going nowhere and they are people who are totally and absolutely detached from the reality of life on this island at this time.”

He said all parties in the peace process were resolute they would not be deflected from the work of cementing relations both sides of the border.

“What is the strategy of these people, particularly if they are so-called republicans, who wish to go back to the use of violence? What are they effectively saying? What they are saying is very clear to me — that they want the British army back, they want to see huge numbers of soldiers on the streets of Belfast and Derry. That is not what the people want and that is not going to happen.”

Tánaiste Brian Cowen echoed the condemnations. “Those people do not represent anybody, they don’t have an agenda for anybody. It’s just a nihilistic, anarchist approach,” he said.

The threats, made by hardline republican elements at the weekend, were confirmed by the North’s chief police officer Hugh Orde, who said both the province and England were being targeted.