Enda Kenny’s silence on IRA attacked

Fianna Fáil has accused Taoiseach Enda Kenny of showing a lack of leadership over the Provisional IRA controversy, saying that he has failed to make any significant comment on the situation since it emerged last Friday.

A spokesperson for the opposition party questioned why Mr Kenny has not put forward any views on the issue and said at the very least, he must seek an urgent meeting with British prime minister David Cameron to address the crisis.

The comments follow previous claims from party leader Micheál Martin, who on Thursday told RTÉ radio the Taoiseach is failing to show leadership on an issue which has potentially serious consequences for the peace process.

In a statement supporting the claim, Mr Martin said: “Too many people have put too much into the peace process over too long a time period to allow the Northern institutions to simply unravel. The peace process belongs to no individual parties, but to the entire nation.

“It is important that the Taoiseach move quickly to give a statement on the situation and to confirm an urgent meeting with the British prime minister David Cameron.”

A Government spokesman last night rejected the criticism, saying Mr Kenny has been kept “fully abreast of all developments” while on a short break and the situation “continues to be monitored closely”.

The spokesman did not address calls for a meeting between Mr Kenny and Mr Cameron, but said that the “relevant” government members — Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald — will meet Northern Ireland’s secretary of state Theresa Villiers next week.

While a number of high-profile figures have put forward their views on the controversy surrounding whether elements of the Provisional IRA still exist, Mr Kenny, Mr Cameron, and notably Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams have yet to answer questions publicly over the matter.