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MAGINNESS - OMAGH FAMILIES DESERVE TRUTH Speaking during an Assembly debate today calling for the establishment of a cross border process to investigate intelligence services information prior to the Omagh bomb, SDLP Justice Spokesperson Alban Maginness MLA stated: “The Omagh bomb was a dreadful atrocity which epitomised the brutality and futility of all terrorism. We must never forget the horror and the hurt, and honour the memory of all those who were robbed of their lives and their loves on that day. “We must all acknowledge the grief and grievance of families who suffered the injustice of such carnage but have not seen the promises of justice fulfilled which were made to them ten years ago. At the time of the Omagh bomb the British and Irish Governments said that no stone would be left unturned in the search for the killers. Ten years on, there has been nothing but a series of false dawns, disappointments and shocking failures. The families deserve more than this. The recent announcement by the British Government that a review will be held into intercepted intelligence material does not go far enough. A secret review that might lead to no public outcome other than bland claims that the intelligence failure would have made no material difference to events is not what is needed. The bereaved and the injured need a response that is more telling than that. We can not afford the cynicism, frustration and despair that would follow if people thought that all they were getting at the end of a review was a carefully honed and ultimately hollow judgement, or the release of sanitised and censored documentation. Members of the families want and need more than this. They have also said that there must be further oversight of security services in Northern Ireland to ensure that the lessons of Omagh are learnt and never repeated. This is a crucially important aspect of any process of change. The intelligence community will not release information if simply asked nicely. They will move to protect their own interests. They will use any number of false flags to ensure that their full role remains shrouded in mystery. The British Government has resisted previous attempts to shine a light into the darkest corners of our past. That is why people will be wary of any process suggested, designed, or carried out by the Governments or security services. The families need to have the reassurance that any process is open, accountable and independent. They need a mechanism that will bring all strands of the investigation to the one place at the one time. This can help eradicate the culture of claim and counter claim that has surrounded much of previous probes and investigations. Only a full cross border, independent public inquiry will provide that reassurance. It would be the fairest and best vehicle for the Omagh families in their search for answers, truth, and justice. The SDLP remains fully supportive of them in that search.” ENDS
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