Ahern visits Belfast
During his visit to Belfast Ahern went to City Hall at the invite
of Lord Mayor Alban Maginnis, the first such visit by a
Taoiseach. He also met Gerry Adams who brought him around his
West Belfast constituency and introduced Ahern to various justice
groups.
In the course of a meeting with these groups, including Cearta,
Saoirse, West Belfast Economic Forum, Gaeloiliunt and the
anti-Plastic Bullet Campaign.
Jim Kelly, whose brother Tony was arrested in Donegal last month,
was also part of the group who met Ahern and asked him why it was
that on the very day the Dublin government issued a statement
asking the US administration not to extradite H Block escapees
Terry Kirby, Kevin Barry Artt and Pol Brennan, Gardaí were
arresting his brother on foot of a British extradition warrant.
Ahern replied that ``we are only responding to a request made by
the British''.
Caitriona Ruane of Cearta told AP/RN that the meeting was useful
and that it was an example of how people can have an input into
the talks process as they had the chance to put their points of
view.
``I said to David Andrews that I thought he was wrong to retract
his comments about cross border institutions under pressure from
the unionists because they worry all the time about unionist
feelings. What about the feelings of us nationalists?'' Ruane
said.
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