Dissidents urged to explain their actions

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday August 03, 2002 08:42 by McMean

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has called on dissident republicans to stop 'skulking' behind the names of anti-agreement organisations and to explain their actions.

A booby-trap device killed construction worker David Caldwell at
a British Army base in Derry on Thursday, The dead man had just
arrived for work at Caw Camp Territorial Army Centre on the
Limavady Road when the explosion occurred at 7.20am. Five people
are currently being held in Derry in connection with the murder.
No group has admitted responsibility for the attack.

In a hard-hitting statement, Mr McGuinness called on two
dissident groups, the so-called "Continuity IRA" and "Real IRA",
to give the political reasons for their actions, if they were
responsible.

The Mid-Ulster MP condemned the continuing wave of violence and
said: "These attacks, whether by rejectionist loyalists or
dissident republicans, are attacks on the peace process and must
be condemned in the most forthright and unequivocal terms."

There was widespread condemnation of the killing of Mr Caldwell,
believed to be the first life to be claimed by the so-called
"Real IRA" since the 1998 Omagh bombing.

Speaking in Derry's Bogside, Mr McGuinness said: "Who I am
actually challenging, are those people within our community who
are anti-agreement - quite a legitimate point of view - but
anti-agreement and in support of the ongoing killing campaign
against the backdrop of a peace process.

"I think these people need to be challenged and I think that
they, if they have political thoughts or ideas in their heads,
need to put their heads above the parapet and defend their
actions.

"I think their actions are indefensible."

Mr McGuinness said he would like to hear a political defence of
yesterday's murder from those responsible.

"I would like to hear those people who feel that they can
politically defend these actions coming out and subjecting
themselves to the full rigour of public examination," he said.