SF delegation meet with Kesh POWs
Sinn Féin north Belfast Assembly member Gerry Kelly led a delegation
to Long Kesh on Tuesday. In meeting with the remaining 84 Republican
POWs Kelly said his aim was to keep them fully updated on the ongoing
political situation.
Speaking to An Phoblacht after the meeting Kelly said, ``these were
useful meetings in that we can bring them up to speed on the current
Unionist impasse.''
``Many were obviously frustrated at the lack of political movement and
Unionist stalling tactics,'' added Kelly, ``and, some expressed the
apprehension that `here we go again' with the Unionists failing to
respect the rights of Nationalists and Republicans.''
``But the reality is that the Good Friday Agreement is in essence a
contract between opponents.
``And as such the words within it were negotiated long and hard by
both Republicans and Unionists and represents a path forward that
must be adhered to, and the contract must be implemented to open the
way for the building of trust further down the line.''
Kelly also said that the political prisoners expressed 100% support
for the current republican leadership.
He added that ``not a single person urged decommissioning, mainly they
pointed to the last IRA statement.''
``There have been over 50 recent attacks on Catholics and the real
problem is the Unionist creation of a political vacuum which
historically, Loyalists have always stepped into'', stated Kelly.
Meanwhile Kelly criticised British Home Secretary Jack Straw's
attempt to block the early release of four republican prisoners under
the the early release programme, in effect holding them as political
hostages, as at best ``insensitive and arrogant'' and at worst ``an
attempt to undermine the Good Friday Agreement.''
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)