Ahern: McCabe killers must be released for deal

If the IRA killers of Garda Jerry McCabe are not released there will be no deal struck on the Northern Ireland peace process, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern warned today.

He told the Dáil it had been made clear in current negotiations that if the issue was not dealt with there would be no agreement on the restoration of the power-sharing institutions, currently at a critical stage.

“This is a request put by one of the parties, the obvious party, and it was put in that way,” he said.

“The issue is this: If I want, if the Government wants, and if we all want a comprehensive deal, there are many aspects of that deal, many aspects that affect many people which we have to deal with.”

Pearse McAuley, Jeremiah Sheehy, Kevin Walsh and Michael O’Neill who are serving between 11 and 14 years for the manslaughter of the detective are set to be released if DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams can agree a new peace deal.

Mr Ahern admitted it was a “highly sensitive” issue which he would rather not deal with. But he said the men were the only remaining prisoners in this capacity left on the island.

“If we want a deal, a comprehensive deal, this is one issue we have to deal with,” he said. “And before that happens we will talk to the Garda Representative Association and the families to explain the position.”

Detective Garda McCabe, aged 52, died in a hail of 15 bullets fired from a Kalashnikov assault rifle during an attempted robbery of a post office van in Adare in Co Limerick in June 1996. His garda colleague, Ben O’Sullivan, was wounded in the attack.

Sinn Féin has consistently claimed that the four men should be released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a position rejected by the Government.

Mr Ahern’s assertion that he would be recommending the four men be freed as part of a settlement to secure IRA decommissioning, despite previously ruling out the possibility, has sparked outrage amongst garda representatives.