SF knew of IRA bank plot, says Ahern

SINN FÉIN leaders knew the IRA was planning the country's biggest-ever bank robbery while they were negotiating a peace deal with the Irish and British governments, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said yesterday.

The Government also confirmed last night that any deal on the early release of the killers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was now "off" following Friday's revelations.

In a strongly worded attack, Mr Ahern said he had consulted with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and had no reason to doubt Chief Constable Hugh Orde's assessment that the IRA was responsible for the £26.5 million Northern Bank raid.

"This was a Provisional IRA job, this was a job that would have been known to the political leadership, that is my understanding," he said.

"I am upset, quite frankly, that in the period when we were in intensive talks trying to get a comprehensive agreement that my information is now that people in very senior positions would have known what was going on.

"The Provisional IRA said that they had nothing to do with the Northern Bank robbery before Christmas but the PSNI clearly have reason to believe that they were involved and the Chief Constable has made that now absolutely clear.

"We have no reason to doubt his current assessment. It's a very serious setback, public confidence has once again been undermined and of course the planning of this crime must have been going on for some time, and of course this fact and the scale of the crime itself are deeply disturbing."

Asked if he meant Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly, the Taoiseach replied: "Well, certainly the leadership."

However, Mr Ahern said, despite his frustration, he would continue to meet Sinn Féin. "I think ultimately we all have to be big enough to keep the peace process going forward."

He told RTÉ's This Week programme there were two outstanding difficulties to be resolved the transparency of the decommissioning of all IRA weapons and IRA criminality.

Both Mr Ahern and Mr Blair have conceded that a deal to restore devolution had been seriously damaged by the December 20 raid during which two families were held hostage.

Mr Blair said unionists were "entirely justified" to refuse to share power with Sinn Féin "unless there is a definitive end to all forms of paramilitary or criminal activity by one of the parties that is associated with a paramilitary group".

"I still think it's possible for us to make progress but it can't be 99% giving up violence, and it certainly can't be 80% giving up violence it has got to be 100%," he said.

But Sinn Féin has persistently denied the IRA was responsible for the robbery. National Party chairman Mitchel McLaughlin yesterday reacted angrily to the Taoiseach's claims.

"This is a direct attack on the integrity of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. Many nationalists and republicans will be deeply disappointed that the Taoiseach has chosen to believe the British and to jump onto the DUP bandwagon of blame.

"That the Taoiseach should do this, after years of working closely with this party's leadership in the peace process, is a grave blow and will be an encouragement to all those, particularly in the DUP, who have consistently sought to attack and undermine the efforts for peace."

Northern Secretary Paul Murphy is due to make a statement to the British Parliament this week, while DUP leader Ian Paisley is also due to meet Mr Blair this week when he will call on the Government to form a devolved administration without republicans.

Fine Gael said the rule of law had to be accepted by Sinn Féin like any other party.

"The Taoiseach and the Government must bring this home to Sinn Féin," said justice spokesman Jim O'Keefe.