BBC
8 July 09

The former Police Ombudsman has said the findings of a government inquiry that examined intercept intelligence surrounding the Omagh bomb were "odd".

The inquiry concluded the 1998 Real IRA bombing could not have been prevented and that intelligence was not withheld.

Dame Nuala O'Loan told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee it may "never be known" if the bombing could have been prevented.

She said she was "confused" by some of the report's findings.

Dame Nuala confirmed to MPs that there were telephone numbers and names which Special Branch could have given to CID Officers investigating the bombing.

The inquiry into how intelligence was handled was chaired by Sir Peter Gibson, with a remit to investigate how intercept intelligience was shared in the Omagh bomb investigation. It was set up after a BBC Panorama Programme claimed security officials were listening to the Omagh bombers.

A total of 29 people and two unborn babies died in the August 1998 blast in the County Tyrone town.

As well as Dame Nuala, the committee head from Jason McCue, a lawyer who represented some of the bereaved families.

He said that it should be examined in more depth.

"It strikes me that Gibson, first of all, is not a policeman so how he can derive what would have been of use to the investigators is beyond me," he said.

BBC
8 July 09

The Republic of Ireland will hold a second referendum on the EU's controversial Lisbon Treaty on 2 October, Irish PM Brian Cowen says.

He made the announcement in the Irish parliament on Wednesday.

The treaty, aimed at streamlining EU institutions, was rejected by Irish voters by referendum in June last year.

Mr Cowen has now secured binding EU guarantees that Lisbon will not affect Irish sovereignty over key issues such as military neutrality and abortion.

These issues, along with taxation policy, were identified as major concerns of Irish voters.

"I believe these concerns have been addressed now in the shape of the legal guarantees," Mr Cowen told parliament on Wednesday.

"On that basis, I recommended to the government that we return to the people to seek their approval for Ireland to ratify the treaty and that referendum will take place on 2 October."

Most EU member states have ratified the treaty, but the Eurosceptic presidents of the Czech Republic and Poland have not yet signed it, saying they will wait for the decision of Irish voters.

Institutional changes

Ireland was the only EU member state to put the treaty to a referendum, and the second Irish vote is seen as the last major hurdle delaying its entry into force.

The treaty's opponents argue that it is just the defunct EU Constitution repackaged, and say it will undermine national sovereignty. The constitution was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.

EU leaders and other pro-Lisbon politicians say the treaty is needed to make the enlarged 27-nation EU more efficient.

Under Lisbon, the six-monthly rotating EU presidency would be replaced by one that runs for two-and-a-half years, there would be a powerful new foreign affairs chief and the European Parliament would gain wider powers.

The treaty would give the parliament a bigger say over the appointment of the new European Commission and would boost the number of Euro MPs from 736 to 754. But the number of commissioners would be kept at 27.

News Letter
09 July 2009

Police are investigating attacks on three Catholic churches in Ballymena early this morning.

And the incident has sparked calls for the north Antrim community to "keep a lid on tit for tat sectarian attacks".

A bottle filled with paint was thrown at a church on Crebilly Road at around 4.47am today.

Paint bombs were also thrown at a church on the Larne Road, and at a church and on headstones on Portglenone Road.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

North Antrim Sinn Fein MLA Daithi McKay condemned the sectarian paint bombing of the Catholic churches and said a GAA mural in the north Antrim village of Dunloy was also attacked.

"This was clearly a series of orchestrated attacks on Catholic Church and GAA property in the North Antrim area last night which needs to be condemned outright," he said.

"Unfortunately, such incidents have occurred before in the lead-up to the 12th and there is an onus on everybody in this area, especially elected representatives, to use their influence to ensure that tensions do not rise further and that attacks on either side of the community are brought to an end.

"I would urge anyone with any information on these attacks to bring it forward to the authorities and ensure that those behind the attacks are prosecuted."

The SDLP's Declan O'Loan said he was saddened by the vandalism. He said it was a return to the kind of sectarian attack that had not been seen for some time in the area.

"Things have been very settled and very calm and certainly that has changed recently," he said.

He said negative forces were filling a vacuum that he claimed was being created as a result of poor leadership from some unionist politicians.

DUP MLA for north Antrim Mervyn Storey said: "There are clearly those out there who feel there is a need for these tit for tat sectarian attacks.

"But if you attack an Orange Hall one night and a Roman Catholic church the next you are left with the situation that an eye for an eye leaves us both blind.

"The community must not let this spiral out of control.

"Whatever differences have arisen in north Antrim - with he UPRG and other groups - need to be worked through."

Speaking on behalf of local Presbyterian Churches, Rev Joseph Andrews, Clerk of the Ballymena Presbytery said: "When any vandalism to Church property of any denomination takes place, it is very unsettling and distressing for the members of the congregation and embarrassing to the local community."

He said he has spoken to the clergy at the different Catholic chapels and, "at a time when we would all agree that local relations are very good such attacks are disappointing".

Rev Andrews called for recent tit for tat attacks to end, "Everyone has a duty to worship God and everyone¹s culture should be free from attack," he said.

SDLP MLA Declan O'Loan said the attack was a "disgraceful episode for the Ballymena area".

He said in recent weeks there has been a "state of nervousness and tension in the area, particularly about the flags disputes that has now manifested into these attacks."

North Antrim Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay condemned the sectarian paint bombing of Catholic churches.

"Unfortunately such incidents have occurred before in the lead-up to the twelfth and there is an onus on everybody in this area, especially elected representatives to use their influence to ensure that tensions do not rise further and that attacks on either side of the community are brought to an end."

News Letter
09 July 2009

ONE of the men found liable for the Omagh bombing should face extradition proceedings to Lithuania – where he is wanted on arms smuggling charges – in Northern Ireland and not the Republic, a judge ruled in Belfast yesterday.

Extradition proceedings were already under way in Dublin when Liam Campbell, 46, crossed the border into Northern Ireland where he was arrested by police.

Belfast Recorder Tom Burgess was asked to rule whether Campbell should be returned to Dublin where proceedings were well advanced or whether fresh extradition proceedings should be started in Northern Ireland.

He ruled yesterday that he should not be returned to Dublin and that the Lithuanian authorities wanted the matter to be proceeded with in the Province.

Campbell, of Upper Faughart, Dundalk, Co Louth, was one of four men held responsible last month for the Omagh bomb atrocity.

A landmark judgment in a civil action brought by relatives of some of the 29 people killed in the 1998 explosion found “cogent evidence” that Campbell was a member of the Real IRA’s army council.

The judge awarded relatives £1.6 million in damages against Campbell and three other alleged bombers.

Campbell is being sought in Lithuania over an alleged operation to acquire and ship guns and ammunition, explosives, detonators and timers from the eastern European state to Ireland.

He was arrested in south Armagh last month after crossing the border into the village of Bessbrook to take his wife to work.

Ruling that Campbell should face extradition proceedings from Northern Ireland to Lithuania, Judge Burgess said: “The judicial authority issuing this warrant sent it to Northern Ireland and to the Republic of Ireland at or about the same time, in circumstances where they would have had no control over, or knowledge of, within which jurisdiction it may be executed.”

In January, the warrant was executed in the Republic and matters would have rested there if Campbell had remained in that jurisdiction, said the judge.

The judge said he had chosen of his own free will to come into the northern jurisdiction and that the PSNI arrested him under the warrant which had been certified in January this year.

“I find no reason to impart to the PSNI any bad faith or abuse of their powers.

“They were arresting someone under an instrument duly issued by a judicial authority in a Part 1 Territory. That judicial authority has advised that it wishes the matter to proceed in this jurisdiction.”

The judge conceded that it was clearly an unusual set of circumstances but there was no reason why the process of extradition should not now take place in Northern Ireland following Campbell’s decision to enter that jurisdiction.

Campbell was remanded in continuing custody until tomorrow when his lawyers will make a bail application before Judge Burgess.