Adams dismisses rumours of more Sinn Féin spies

Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams today said speculation more spies could be unearthed within the party may be coming from some elements within the British intelligence service.

After the revelation three weeks ago that Sinn Féin’s former head of administration, Denis Donaldson, was a British spy, speculation has been mounting in Belfast in recent weeks that other republicans may be exposed as spies.

Mr Adams dismissed stories of more spies emerging as nonsense.

“It used to be when the IRA were centre stage that sections of the media fed every weekend with who was the chief of staff, who was this and who was that, and who was the mole,” he said at the party’s Ard Chomhairle meeting in Dublin.

“Now I think what we are seeing is a continuation of much more of these nonsense type stories, there is a sinister aspect to it in that some of them may be above and beyond media trivia.

“Some of it may be fed by elements within the British intelligence service, either active members or people who used to be in the old RUC special branch. So there can be quite a sinister dimension to it. Of course a sinister dimension is about trying to confuse and cause uncertainties and difficulties in republicanism.”

The North’s political institutions have been suspended since October 2002 when allegations about a republican spy ring at Stormont threatened to permanently destroy them.

Denis Donaldson, his son-in-law Ciaran Kearney and civil servant William Mackessy were arrested and accused of operating the intelligence gathering operation.

However last month the case against the three men dramatically collapsed in Belfast Crown Court when the Public Prosecution Service said it was no longer in the public interest to pursue it.

In a further dramatic twist, Sinn Féin expelled Denis Donaldson one week later after he was warned by his security force handlers that his cover was about to be blown.

Mr Donaldson confessed his role to party officials and later appeared on Irish television reading from a prepared statement admitting he was a spy.

He has since gone into hiding.

At the Dublin meeting, Mr Adams said Sinn Féin had given a clear signal to the Irish and British governments that it will not wait indefinitely for the restoration of the Stormont Assembly.

Mr Adams said the political institutions could not be kept on hold without a timeline for restoration.

“We have already given a very clear signal in private discussions with both governments that we are not going to hang around indefinitely, it is just not tenable that you have three-years of suspension of what almost amounts to a farce. Either we have working institutions or we don’t,” he said.

At a meeting of the party’s Ard Chomhairle, Mr Adams said the assembly needed to be restored to the North by early this year.

“The big focus for us as the new year begins is to work with the two governments so that they follow through on very clear signals which they have been sending that they intend to make a big effort to get the political institutions back up in place. Our view is that the current situation is not tenable, the political institutions suspended for three years cannot be allowed to remain in mothballs indefinitely,” he said.

“Last year saw Republicans delivering big-time and there is now no longer any excuse for anyone to resist fulfilling their mandates within the political institutions set up under the Good Friday Agreement.”

Mr Adams said he believed 2006 would be a vital year in the peace process.

Following the Provisionals’ declaration last July that it had ended its armed campaign and the completion of its disarmament programme, officials are hoping for a positive Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) report confirming the Provisionals are remaining true to their word.

Speculation has been mounting in recent days that Tony Blair may travel to the city along with the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on the back of the IMC report on IRA and other paramilitary activity in a bid to inject fresh momentum into the political process.

British government sources said the idea of a visit before March has been considered but there were no definite plans.