26 January 2006
Irish Independent
Senan Molony
British secret services and former agents may be among new sources now willing to give information on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.Ireland has been aggressively pressing the British Government to open its files on the bombings, which took the lives of 33 people on May 17, 1974, amid persistent claims that Loyalists did not have the expertise to assemble the bombs at that time.
British agents in 1974 were engaged in secret operations aimed at bringing home the cost of "supporting" terrorism to citizens of the Republic - leading, in one instance, to the arrest of Kenneth and Keith Littlejohn for bank robberies here.
A Government spokeswoman confirmed last night the Taoiseach had repeatedly asked Tony Blair - who arrives in Dublin for a flying visit today - about the lack of co-operation by British agencies in a reappraisal of the bombings commissioned by the Government.
The sole member of the commission, leading criminal barrister Paddy McEntee, revealed last night he had learned in the past fortnight of a new willingness to co-operate by "certain entities and persons".
The agreement to co-operate was received as recently as January 11 last, Mr McEntee said in his second interim report to the Government, in which he requested an extension to to deal with the sources who are "in a position to materially assist this investigation".
Government sources refused to specify the "entities" involved, but it has been an open secret since Mr Justice Henry Barron's initial probe into shortcomings in the initial investigations that among the uncooperative organisations are MI5 and MI6.
It has been claimed - so far without any supporting evidence - that British agents provided and primed the explosives used by the Ulster Volunteer Force in the wave of car-bomb attacks at Church Square, Monaghan, and Dublin's Parnell Street, Talbot Street and South Leinster Street.
Following consideration of Mr McEntee's request yesterday, the Cabinet granted a further extension of the time frame to complete the report into the bombings - originally due to be finished by November 14 last, but initially extended to the end of this month. The new time frame for completion of the report is February 28, 2006.
Last year Mr McEntee said he had found "certain documentation" which was previously said to be missing from Garda files. He added the commission could be in a position to establish that other relevant documentation had been lost.
Mr McEntee yesterday described the new development as "a significant opportunity to advance this investigation".
The entities involved are expected to next month have formal meetings with Mr McEntee - possibly in London - to discuss the bombings.
A Government spokeswoman confirmed last night that the Dublin and Monaghan bombings would again be raised between the Taoiseach and Prime Minister Blair during their talks today at Famrleigh, a Government spokeswoman said.
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