By Brendan McDaid
Belfast Telegraph
Friday, 31 October 2008

DISPARATE groups of Republicans including anti and pro-Agreement groups, the IRSP and the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, are to discuss merging their political objectives at a meeting in the North West next week.

The wide spectral of Republican parties and individuals with differing views are set to gather at the Tower Hotel in Derry city centre next Friday to thrash out a common agenda at the launch of a Republican Network for Unity.

In a statement issued today, the Irish Republican Socialist Party Derry branch said they “fully endorse” and support the project.

A spokesman said: “The IRSP have been involved in ongoing discussions on how to best move the Republican project forward in the current political climate.

“As such, with our partners in the Republican Network for Unity and the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, we are happy to participate in the launch of the Irish Republican Forum for Unity Project and see it as an exciting and timely intervention.

“We would urge all those who are unhappy at the current state of affairs and who want to see republicanism to once again prosper to lend their support to this broad-based initiative and to attend the debate next Friday night in the Tower Hotel.”

A spokesman for the organisers of the event said today: “Over the past ten years — since the signing of the Good Friday agreement — Irish Republicans have witnessed a dramatic change in the manner in which the struggle for National Liberation and the establishment of a 32-county Republic has been waged.

“To say that not all Republicans agree with, nor comprehend how such changes are leading to the establishment of a 32-county democratic socialist republic, is to point out the obvious, and is evidenced by the large number of groups that now exist with the stated aim of establishing such a republic.

“There are those for whom the local British assembly represents the best route forward, while for others the very existence of a local assembly stands as a bulwark against National Sovereignty and as such hinders, not helps, the struggle for National Liberation.

“Still others are so frustrated by the lack of progress or a clear strategic way forward or a unity of purpose that they have given up on the Republican struggle ever arriving at its revolutionary objective.”

He added: “In short, the Republican vision, as eloquently articulated in the Proclamation of 1916, appears to be distorted by divisions and lack of agreement around core Republican positions.

“That being the case, a number of Republicans feel that ten years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the time is appropriate for Republicans to review where the Republican struggle stands and how best we can collectively pursue the sentiments expressed in the Proclamation.

“Such a review needs to address not only were we stand in relation to core Republican beliefs but also how we attempt to be pro-active on those beliefs within the Republican tradition. This is vital to ensure that we move our core aims beyond the aspirational and into the attainable.”

He added: “Towards this end all views should be encouraged and given equal weight using the rule of thumb that at this juncture it is of equal importance to consider where we, individually and collectively, are going to as where we are coming from.”

The spokesman said that within the forum, all issues of importance to Republicans can be openly discussed with the intention that the ideas generated will be taken back to existing organisations for the purpose of focussing political activity to achieve more definitive results.

“In this way,” he added, “Republicans can begin to address the areas of division that have been created due to lack of open, frank and democratic discussion and begin the process of establishing an agreed Republican agenda rather than Republicans merely responding to a series of ‘contrived’ crises.”

Other similar meetings are to be staged across Ireland in the forthcoming weeks.
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News Letter
31 October 2008

A SINN Fein delegation has had a meeting with the Parades Commission and is set to hold a press conference to make a statement about the Belfast homecoming parade.

There is speculation that the party may announce that it is to scale down its protest in response to a series of concessions by the Ministry of Defence.

A Sinn Fein spokesperson refused to comment on the reasoning for the hastily arranged press conference.

This morning the MoD announced that it was cancelling the planned RAF flypast and that none of the soldiers would be armed.

The MoD has already said that the Royal Irish Regiment's regimental march, Killaloe, will not be played on Sunday and regimental colours will not be carried.

The moves have been made in an attempt to quell violence fears at the event being held on Sunday to welcome troops home after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sinn Fein have organised a counter protest and there is expected to be a high level security presence as protestors and well-wishers come into close proximity.

But three of the party's MLAs - Gerry Kelly, Jennifer McCann and Paul Maskey - have called a press conference for noon today at the party's Sevastopol Street Offices on the Falls Road, where they will make a statement about the parade.

Major General Chris Brown said the decision had been made to cancel the flyover to ensure the parade "does not increase the potential for friction".

Mr Brown also confirmed that no weapons will be deployed by soldiers and regimental tunes will not be played by the Royal Irish band leading the homecoming parade through the city centre.

"This further underpins our appreciation of the sensitivities surrounding this element of the parade," he said.

Ulster Unionist parades spokesman Michael Copeland - a former UDR soldier - accused the military hierarchy of bending over backwards to placate dissident elements.

The UUP councillor described the move as, "capitulation to the unstated requirements of those who have set themselves up in opposition to this expression of Britishness".

"The military hierarchy, in bending over backwards to accommodate this dissent, are in danger of breaking the hearts of those who consider themselves proud to be British, whether they are service personnel or civilians," Mr Copeland added.

BY MARK McKELVEY
Ulster Herald
**Via Newshound
m.mckelvey@ulsterherald.com

THE PSNI has increased patrols in the Omagh town area in response to dissident republican death threats to local police officers.

Tensions are currently high following a number of attacks on police officers in Tyrone and Fermanagh in recent months.

Chief Constable Hugh Orde has already admitted that dissident activity is as high now as at any time during the Troubles and this week a police spokesperson revealed to the UlsterHerald that the PSNI is taking every measure possible to ensure the safety of local police officers and civilians.

The police spokesperson said, "While we do not comment on the security of individuals, whether they be police officers or other members of the community, when we become aware of a threat to them, we take appropriate action.

"It is worth remembering that there is a substantial threat to police officers and others from dissident republicans. In particular, they have made serious attempts to murder officers over the past year.

"We are taking steps to counter the threats and people throughout Tyrone and Fermanagh will have noticed increased police activity. We ask for their patience and understanding and we also appeal for all with information about those behind the threats to give that information to us."

Local Sinn Féin councillor and DPP member, Declan McAleer unequivocally condemned the murder threats.

He said, "The people who are engaged in this behaviour are operating without any mandate and have no support whatsoever within this community. I'm not certain whose agenda they are working to, but I completely condemn such threats and am calling on whoever is responsible to withdraw these immediately."

Cllr Tom Buchanan, West Tyrone DUP MLA and NI Policing Board member, expressed his concern that police have had to step up their level of activity in the Omagh area.

He said, "It is a real concern when dissident republicans are creating a threat to both police officers and to people in the local area. This is a small minority of people that are intent on murdering police personnel.

"I commend the police for increasing their presence in an area where they feel this republican threat is. However, I think the police must receive the full backing of all the political parties at this time to take whatever force or action required to stamp out this type of activity."

By Conor Sharkey
Ulster Herald
**Via Newshound

Castlederg Young Loyalists Flute Band has been forced to remove material from its website amid fears it could spark violence at this weekend's RIR homecoming parade in Belfast.

Thousands of well wishers are expected to converge on Belfast this Sunday to mark the return of Royal Irish Regiment soldiers who have just completed a six-month deployment in Helmand province in Afghanistan. Strong support is also anticipated for a republican counter-demonstration set to go ahead around the same time.

Fears that the display could lead to a head-on collision between loyalists and republicans have been growing in recent days. On Monday, the DUP accused Sinn Fein of behaving recklessly over the parade. The DUP in turn were accused of conducting an "offensive coat trailing exercise".

Locally, division over the RIR homecoming has also started to bubble to the surface. Castlederg Young Loyalists Flute Band has vowed to travel to Belfast to show its support for the returning soldiers. Meanwhile the local branch of Ogra Shinn Fein says it too will travel to demonstrate on behalf of families bereaved "as a result of state murder".

And earlier this week, potentially inciteful postings started to appear on the website of the Derg Young Loyalists Flute Band. One, posted under the name 'Ex RIR' reads, "I will be there and will bring as many as possible to show our boys support. Everyone reading this please pass it on and post it on loyalist sites and guestbooks and show these scumbag republicans up". A second posting, apparantly predicting trouble at Sunday's march, urged, "We could not be with our soldiers in Afghanistan but we can protect them in Belfast".

Yesterday, the UH made band master Trevor Donnell aware of the potentially inflammatory material and it was subsequently removed. Mr Donnell added that the message in no way reflected the overall feeling within the ranks of the band.

"The reason we are supporting the parade is because a young fellow out there is a former band member. Messages like 'republican scumbags' are not the general feeling among the band and the material has now been removed. We see this as more of a thanksgiving parade rather than triumphalist and the last thing we want is for it be marred by any violence," he said.

Meanwhile, Ogra Shinn Fein's national organiser Barry McColgan welcomed the decision to remove the postings, adding that their counter-demonstration was in no way about stirring up trouble.

"Of course the decision to remove this from the website has to be welcomed. But what we are doing is turning out to show our opposition to the illegal occupation by the British both here and in Iraq. This type of homecoming parade can't even go ahead in England because of the opposition to the war in Iraq but it is alright to have it over here. It seems crazy.

"As far as we are concerned, this will be a peaceful and dignified protest against state murder and collusion and any violence on the day would take away from that," Mr McColgan said.

- SAYS KNEECAPPED BOGSIDE MAN

By Erin Hutcheon
Derry Journal
31 October 2008

A Derry man who was shot in a Bogside bookie's shop on Wednesday evening, last night sent a clear message to his attackers: "I'm no dealer."

Shaun Ryan (35), was shot twice in both legs during a punishment-style shooting at Ladbrokes betting shop in Meenan Square.

The father of three has since undergone surgery at Altnagelvin Hospital.
Speaking exclusively to the 'Journal' from his hospital bed, Shaun Ryan and his wife Deborah described his attackers as "scumbags."

"It's a vendetta,"said Shaun. "I don't sell drugs, I did sell years ago, but now I've stopped."

He said be believed the gunmen came after him because he was seen driving around in a new car and it was assumed he had money.

"I bought that car on higher purchase with my father," he said. "I was going to use it to start taxi-ing."

Still visibly shaken from his ordeal, Mr Ryan said the attack had been devastating for his wife and family.

"The people who did this are scum of the earth," he said. "I wouldn't wish this on any family, just weeks before Christmas."

Although it had been feared he could lose a leg, doctors were able to remove the bullets from Shaun Ryan's kneecaps. However, it could be months before he's able to walk again.

Just after 9pm on Wednesday night two masked men armed with a shotgun entered Ladbrokes on Meenan Square and demanded that customers lie on the floor. The men singled out Shaun Ryan and shot him in both legs.
Witnesses said Mr Ryan's injuries were so severe the ground was saturated in blood.

The attackers then made their escape hijacking a silver Vauxhall Vectra at Dove Gardens. The car was later found burned out at Creggan Heights.
Yesterday Mr. Ryan's sister Marguerite, visibly shaken, broke down in tears as she visited the scene of the shooting.

"We have no idea why Shaun has been targeted like this," she said.
Family friend SDLP Councillor John Tierney condemned the shooting.: "Shaun could have lost a leg," he said. "These so-called punishment shootings are barbaric. Once people go out with a loaded gun, no one knows what will happen next."

Sinn Féin MLA Raymond McCartney says those who carried out the shooting have "nothing to offer the community."

Donal McCarthy from Ladbrokes said his staff had been traumatised by the shooting and added that they will be reviewing their security arrangements.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward. The number to ring is 08456008000 or crimestoppers on 0800555111.

BBC

A former leading Belfast loyalist, linked by the police ombudsman to over a dozen murders, has lost his fight to stop the media photographing him.


Mark Haddock, from Mount Vernon, wanted a media blackout on his new identity when he leaves prison early next year.

The alleged informer is serving a 10-year sentence

He is serving a 10-year sentence for attacking a nightclub doorman.

Haddock is still seeking bans on the publication of his new address as well as his proposed change of name, claiming that he is under death threat.

He was screened from public view in the High Court on Friday when Mr Justice Deeny ruled that there had not been a material alteration in his appearance to justify Haddock's claim for a publicity ban.

The BBC, UTV and Irish News had opposed Haddock's move for secrecy.

Henry McDonald in Belfast
Guardian
Friday October 31 2008 14.23 GMT

Sinn Féin and the British army united today to try and quell sectarian tensions around the first major military parade through Belfast city centre.

The Sinn Féin minister Gerry Kelly announced that the party's protest against a march by troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan would be rerouted.

Kelly said Sinn Féin's demonstration would be in "visual range" of the army march on Sunday. The party's protest would stop at the bottom of the Grosvenor Road, an arterial route into republican west Belfast, he said.

The announcement came a few hours after the head of the British army in Northern Ireland said an RAF flypast planned for the parade would be cancelled.

The Guardian has learned that republicans opposed to power sharing and Sinn Féin's peace strategy will still try to disrupt the parade.

The apparent deal came as Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionists continued talks behind closed doors to restore the power-sharing executive at Stormont.

The Guardian has learned that the DUP and Sinn Féin began discussions yesterday that lasted until 2am today. Although the parade was discussed, the main focus of the talks was on the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Sources close to the talks said the parties were "very close to a deal" that would see the centrist, non-sectarian Alliance Party run a new policing and justice ministry as a compromise.

Dissident republicans opposed to the peace process told the Guardian they would ignore Sinn Féin's decision to alter their protest and would still picket the British army march.

All police leave in Northern Ireland has been cancelled this weekend as the security forces plan to monitor the rallies and demonstrations that have the potential to destabilise the peace process.

At noon on Sunday thousands are taking to the streets of Belfast city centre to cheer soldiers returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Speaking at Sinn Féin's west Belfast headquarters yesterday, Kelly said: "We needed a change to radically de-escalate the situation. Others are trying to hijack that situation."

The former IRA member, a Maze prison escapee, stressed that the party would have a "dignified protest" entirely separate from dissident groups. Kelly denied there had been a deal involving Sinn Féin and the British army.

His remarks came a few hours after the army announced changes to its parade.

Major General Chris Brown, the head of the British army in Northern Ireland, said: "We have taken a number of measures to ensure that our thanksgiving parade does not increase the potential for friction ... all on the parade will be unarmed and the musical repertoire will reflect the tri-service nature of this event, including regimental tunes, as well as the fact that it is happening on a Sunday.

"As a further measure I have decided there will be no flypast. This further underpins our appreciation of the sensitivities surrounding this element of the parade."

Unionists criticised the army's move as pandering to Sinn Féin. The Ulster Unionist deputy leader, Danny Kennedy, said: "I feel the hands of the Northern Ireland Office or Whitehall simply trying to pander to elements that will never be satisfied. People who are opposed to this will always be opposed to this."

Dissident protests are being organised by Eirig, a group of disgruntled Sinn Féin activists, and the Irish Republican Socialist party.

Loyalist paramilitary sources told the Guardian last weekend that the anti-army protests were "potentially disastrous". Both loyalist terror groups, the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Ulster Defence Association, have instructed their members to turn up in support of the homecoming parade for British troops.

One senior UVF member said yesterday that anger among unionists over republican protests had not been as strong since the Anglo-Irish agreement was signed in the mid-1980s. In 1986 tens of thousands of unionists turned up outside Belfast city hall to protest against the accord giving the Dublin government more say in the running of Northern Ireland.

The loyalist leader pointed to one of the Sinn Féin speakers at the now re-routed protest, the Derry Assembly member Martina Anderson whom Gerry Adams had appointed as the party's outreach officer to unionists.

"So much for her 'outreach' to unionists when she is addressing a protest many in my community will see as provocative and insulting," the UVF commander said.

Belfast Telegraph
Friday, 19 January 2007

Architects are planning a new landmark building for Belfast city centre to rival U2's bid for Ireland's tallest building.

Plans have been submitted for the £90m Aurora building which will stand 37 storeys high on Great Victoria Street, at the corner of Ventry Street.

But the £90m development will still fall 21 metres short of the tower the Irish rock supergroup is planning for Dublin. U2 Tower's shoulder parapet will be 100 metres above street level. However it will be crowned with U2's recording studio to give it a total height of 130 metres.

Vertigo: Aurora will rival U2 tower. An artist's impression of the Aurora building planned for Great Victoria Street in Belfast. The skyscraper will stand at 109m

The 109-metre Aurora building will house 291 luxury apartments, a residents' gym, 24-hour concierge, valet parking and 7,000sq ft of prime commercial space including an exclusive restaurant.

The ambitious new development will also create 300 jobs during its two-year construction.

And if the plans are approved, the first apartments could be for sale 18 months from now, with the development complete by 2010.

Designed by internationally acclaimed HKR Architects, a key aspect of Aurora will be its energy efficient design features and a specially-commissioned roof-top light feature which simulates the northern lights at night.

Developer McAlister Holdings hopes the sky will be the limit, with Aurora becoming an iconic city landmark.

Mervyn McAlister, managing director of McAlister Holdings, said: " Aurora will set a new benchmark for residential and commercial development in the city centre.

"It will be recognised as the most exciting and innovative scheme of its type ever built in Northern Ireland. Its construction, when seen alongside schemes such as Victoria Square, Bedford Square and the Obel Building, reflects the growing confidence of Belfast moving forward into the future."

And the developers foresee the apartments being snapped up by the province's high-fliers who want to be within walking distance of the places they work and play in.

There are 146 car parking spaces available (50% of the requirement), but the developers say it is all part of the concept to get people out of the car.

And if it is the high life for you, the top two floors have been left just in case a well-heeled buyer wants to have the entire floor for a possible penthouse - with some of the best views in Belfast.

No prices have been set yet for an apartment, but with one bedroom apartments in the city centre currently selling from £175,000, prospective owners will probably have to pay a premium.

Simon Brien, from the Eric Cairns Partnership who will handle the apartment sales, described Aurora as one of Northern Ireland's most "exciting and inspirational" developments.

He added: "The market for high quality residential accommodation in the city centre is very strong and Aurora will certainly attract huge levels of interest."

Dave Pennick, president of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce praised the plan, adding the developers have chosen a good location. He said: "Belfast has come an awful long way in a very short time.

"Aurora is a very brave statement and it is up to the planners and what their vision is for Belfast."

And he urged them to take a " leap of faith".

After meeting the developers, the DUP's East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson said the Aurora building would be a major and prestigious development for the city.

"This planned development, along with others, will be an impressive landmark building in the city and represents an air of confidence about the economic future for Belfast in particular, and Northern Ireland in general," he said.

"Obviously there will be local concerns which developers will need to address, but I am pleased that during my discussions this morning the representative from the developers seemed more than willing to meet with local people and officers of Belfast City Council to address their issues and listen to their views.

"Hopefully the application will be given a fair wind by the planning system and building will be able to commence quickly.

"If the target set in the Regional Development Strategy of building 60% of new houses in the urban footprint is to be met then developments of this nature have to be achieved and approved."

The Aurora building and U2 Towers are a long way off topping Taipei 101 in Taiwan which has 101 storeys and stands at 508 metres.

Petronas Towers 1 and 2 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, form the world's second tallest building with 88 storeys at 452 metres high.

Sears Tower in Chicago is the fourth tallest building with 110 storeys at 442 metres high and Jin Mao Building in Shanghai is fifth with 88 storeys at 421 metres.

New York's Empire State Building ranks ninth with 102 storeys at 381 metres and the Trump Building on Fifth Avenue stands 283 metres high.
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