Adams willing to meet families of IRA victims in Republic

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has offered to meet the families of victims of IRA violence in the Republic of Ireland.

In his keynote address to the party's ard fheis in Mayo tonight Mr Adams has also pleaded with the Labour Party to leave the coalition.

In a wide-ranging speech, Deputy Adams promised to fight the property tax tooth and nail, and resist water charges when they come too.

He accused Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil of being all the same and refusing to share the wealth in the boom and now taking from those who can still least afford it.

And he appealed for Labour to leave the coalition.

"Stand by working people as Connolly and Larkin did," Deputy Adams said in comments addressed towards Labour.

"Leave this government and leave it now."

He also called for a real truth process, saying it needs to be faced up to.

"Sinn Féin has argued for the establishment of an Independent International Truth Commission," Deputy Adams said.

"The two governments; former combatants, and those in leadership across Ireland and Britain need to be part of such a process."

Saying that he and others in the Sinn Féin leadership had "met many victims and victim’s families in the North", Mr Adams said that he was prepared to meet with victims’ families south of the border "if they believe this will be helpful".

The Sinn Féin president said this was something he intended to do in the near future.

"Irish republicans will not shirk from our obligations to those who died as a consequence of the conflict," he said.