Wikileaks revisited
Wikileakstouched upon Northern Ireland at the start of the month. But the cables published in today's Guardian are a more comprehensive and interesting affair. The "rock solid evidence" that Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness were members of the IRA military command isn't spelled out. But it's prompted both of them to repeat their denials.
The Deputy First Minister rubbished the suggestion he knew in advance about the Northern Bank robbery whilst representing the Executive at the British Irish Council in the Isle of Man. The TUV leader Jim Allister says The SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie says Messrs Adams and McGuinness should apologies to the Northern Bank employee and his wife in South Down who were taken hostage as part of the operation.
Whilst Gerry Adams dismissed the US cable which dealt with him, he attached great importance in the one which referred to the then MI5 head Sinn Fein says the evidence that MI5 has files on the murder of Pat Finucane adds weight to the call for an independent international inquiry into his murder.
For years now there has been a stand off between the government, which wants any Finucane inquiry to be conducted under the more restrictive rules of the 2005 Inquiries Act and the Finucane family who believe the government would use the act to suppress the truth about their case.
In the Wikileaks cables Bertie Ahern makes no bones about his belief that the UK authorities colluded in the murder, saying "everyone knew" the UK was involved. In one document, the US Envoy Mitchell Reiss, suggests an inquiry should be headed by an Irish judge. An interesting suggestion given that, 21 years on from Pat Finucane's murder, the Secretary of State is still looking around for some compromise which might enable the gap between the government and the family to be closed.
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