Adams: Truth Commission 'should probe North's past'

An independent and international truth commission is the best way to deal with the North's bloody past, Gerry Adams said today.

State killing, collusion and the impact on victims of all armed groups must be dealt with, the Sinn Féin president added.

The British government has established a consultative group to probe the best way forward.

Mr Adams said: “In Ireland many of the victims’ groups have been looking at the possibility of establishing an Independent International Truth Commission (IITC).

“Sinn Féin has now met many of these groups and we have concluded that the establishment of an IITC is the best way of taking this issue forward.”

Consultative group co-chairs Lord Robin Eames, former Church of Ireland Primate, and Denis Bradley, who was vice-chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, are reporting to Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward with a number of recommendations on the 30-year conflict’s legacy.

The panel held a series of public meetings around the North to get different perspectives on how to deal with the past.

Mr Adams added: “Key to the success of such a (Truth) Commission is the full co-operation by all relevant parties.

“And clearly the willingness of individuals to voluntarily participate will be greatly enhanced if the Commission is seen to be independent, have an international dimension and be fair and equitable.”

He said victims of the British government and the IRA were seeking the truth.

In an article in this week’s An Phoblacht, a republican newspaper, Mr Adams added there was “understandable concern” at the Government’s commitment to a truth recovery process.

He cited official refusal to hand over files surrounding the 1989 killing of north Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane with alleged security force involvement and accused the Government of obstructing the Saville Inquiry into the Bloody Sunday killing of civil rights campaigners by soldiers in Derry in January 1972.

He added: “Brushing it under the carpet, revising our history to exorcise the role of the British state in fomenting and prolonging conflict in our country, is in no one’s interest – especially the families.”

The West Belfast MP said republicans had apologised to “non-combatants” killed by the IRA.

“For our part Sinn Féin is very mindful of all of the difficulties involved in truth recovery, particularly for victims and their families.

“But we believe that as society seeks to leave conflict behind and to move forward there is a requirement that all of us address the tragic human consequences of the past.”