McDowell launches fresh attack on Sinn Féin’s IRA links

JUSTICE MINISTER Michael McDowell last night launched his strongest attack to date on Sinn Féin and the party’s links to the IRA, as the McCabe killers controversy rolls on.

Just days after details of the Government's deal with Sinn Féin over the release of the killers of Detective

Garda Gerry McCabe, as part of a final peace deal, Mr McDowell said he believed Sinn Féin is fundamentally committed to the continuation of IRA paramilitarism.

"Far from moving from paramilitarism to exclusively democratic politics, the Provisionals IRA and Sinn Féin at present

appear to believe that the IRA must remain in existence, must not be wound up and must function as the continuing repository of political legitimacy until the establishment of an 'all Ireland socialist republic' at which point the Army Council, having held an army convention, would formally pass its authority to the functioning government of that socialist republic," he said.

Speaking in the McCabe family hometown of Limerick, Mr McDowell reiterated the Government's stance on the Castlerea Four.

"There is no question of their release being used as an inducement or as an appetiser for anybody to change their political stance. The Government has made it clear that while paramilitarism continues there is no question of considering their release," he said.

In a speech entitled 'The Challenge To Our Republican Values', Mr McDowell said the IRA was a movement dependent on crime and Sinn Féin and the IRA do not want to end paramilitary activities.

"But we cannot live with a massive criminal organisation which kills, tortures and plunders and to which elected politicians owe secret allegiance and in respect of whose activities some even take part in their direction," he said.