IRISH NEWS ROUND-UP
 http://irlnet.com/rmlist

Tuesday-Thursday, 16-18 September, 2003


1. ELECTIONS FAILURE 'COULD SIGNAL END FOR AGREEMENT'
* Ceasefire Monitoring Commission set up

2. Human Rights Commission crisis puts investment at risk
3. British govenment to defy document ruling
4. Ex-prisoners dismiss Donaldson criticism
5. Dissidents arrested over police board intimidation
6. Seanad reform proposals debated
7. Feature: Unionist paramilitaries intensify attacks
8. Analysis: Direct rule a disaster


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>>>>>> ELECTIONS FAILURE 'COULD SIGNAL END FOR AGREEMENT'


Failure to hold elections soon in the Six Counties could spell
the end of the Good Friday Agreement, Sinn Fein's Martin
McGuinness warned today. As he prepared for a meeting in
Dublin with Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, the Mid Ulster
MP insisted the Government must set a date for an Assembly
election this year if efforts to restore power-sharing were to
succeed.

He said: "The election should have happened in May. It didn't.

"If the election was not to happen this year, I think that
would be politically disastrous. I think it would signal to
many people the end of the Good Friday Agreement because I
don't think people would have any confidence whatsoever, going
into a new year, that we would see elections, given the
situation we have seen since May of this year.

"We have seen the failure of the British Prime Minister (Tony
Blair) to follow the next logical step, when the lifetime of
the Assembly was over, by calling elections to the new
Assembly.

"So I think it will be politically disastrous for elections
not to take place this year and it would be an enormous
setback to the work we have all been engaged in over the
course of the last few years."

Mr Blair's decision to cancel elections was criticised by the
Irish Government, by politicians in the United States and a
range of parties in the North of Ireland. With speculation
mounting that an election could take place in November,
nationalists have in recent days stepped up pressure for an
election date. They have argued an Assembly poll could serve
as a deadline in the current efforts to break the political
deadlock. However neither London nor Dublin have been willing
to state definitively if there will be a poll this autumn.

Mr McGuinness said nationalists and republicans were still
waiting to see how Mr Blair was going to implement the
Agreement in the face of opposition from unionists and from
elements within the British establishment.

He said Sinn Fein, the Irish Government and the nationalist
SDLP had delivered "nationalist and republican Ireland" for
the Agreement.

The former Stormont Education Minister added: "There has been
an abysmal failure on behalf of the British end of the
bargain, from the British Prime Minister and unionist leaders,
to deliver their contribution to the Agreement.

"What I want to see over the coming period is a recognition on
their behalf that they have to go in and bat for this
agreement, they have to fight for this and they have to face
down the rejectionists within the DUP and within David
Trimble's party."

Mr McGuinness said the setting of an election date would
create a new political momentum in the efforts to restore
devolution.

Republicans, he said, had been involved in heavy negotiations
since the summer which he expected to further intensify in the
coming days.

"It will be a matter of putting together a package, a
comprehensive agreement and everybody is going to fight their
corner," the Sinn Fein MP predicted.

"I understand that. The big question is whether there is a
willingness on all sides to bring about a set of political
arrangements which will see the peace process and the Good
Friday Agreement move forward.

"We need to see the restoration of the institutions - both
power-sharing in the north and all-Ireland in nature through
the North South Ministerial Council.

"Of course, every day people are listening to the ongoing
controversy over the Human Rights Commission and the fact that
it is broken and needs to be fixed. Three eminent people have
resigned and two others have withdrawn from the daily working
of the commission. This is a commission which is effectively
on its knees.

"So we need to correct the mistakes which have been made and
that essentially means dealing with all these issues. From our
perspective we intend to see that they are dealt with during
the course of the negotiations we are engaged in at the
moment."

Mr McGuinness also said his party wanted the policing issue
resolved.

However he insisted that meant getting policing "right" by
fully implementing the Patten Commission's recommendations and
transferring policing and justice powers from Westminster to a
devolved administration at Stormont.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams is due to hold face-to-face
talks with Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble at Stormont
today. It will be the second time they have met over the past
week as efforts to restore power-sharing in the Six Counties
continue.

NEW COMMISSION CRITICISED

British Secretary of State Paul Murphy was today due to meet
his Irish government opposite number, foreign minister Brian
Cowen, while Sinn Fein Chief Negotiator Martin McGuiness was
also due to meet Mr Cowen in Dublin today.

The round of meetings followed the passage of legislation
through the House of Commons in London yesterday creating a
new four-member commission for monitoring paramilitary
cease-fires and the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking in London, Sinn Fein North Belfast representative
Gerry Kelly was critical of the legislation being brought to
establish the Independent Monitoring Commission as "the result
of efforts by the British government to appease unionism
further.

"Since it was first established it has been further modified
to meet the demands of the various unionist factions," he
said. "The principle difficulty with this Commission is the
fact that it gives power and authority to a British Minister
which fundamentally alters and is outside the terms of the
Good Friday Agreement.

"Sinn Fein has no problems with accountability, however we
will not support mechanisms which fall totally outside the
terms of the Agreement."

Mr Kelly was in London to support the candidacy of Kelly
McBride, who is standing in the Brent East by-election today
to highlight the continued injustices surrounding the murder
of her brother, Peter McBride, in North Belfast in 1992 by a
patrol of British soldiers.

He briefed cross-party MPs and the media in London on
Wednesday about the current situation with the peace process.

At a press conference, Mr Kelly stressed the urgent need to
call the Assembly elections: "Without doubt elections are a
matter of political principle. They are vital if we are to
create a new context - create a new dynamic - without that
there is no prospect of progress."

He added that setting a definitive date for elections was not
on its own enough. "We have to remember the last time Mr Blair
slapped republicans and the Taoiseach in the face by
cancelling elections." he said, adding that this created a "a
deep well of anger and frustration". He said even with an
election date "there is no guarantee of future initiatives
from republicans.

"Moving things forward is not just the responsibility of
republicans. There is a collective responsibility on all of
us."


* Also in London, a group of British parliamentarians and
prominent individuals, including union representatives, Tom
Griffin, editor of the Irish World and actor Adrian Dunbar,
have put their names to a letter demanding that the British
government set the date of the poll for the elections "without
further delay".

The signatories, including MPs Kevin McNamara, John McDonnell
and Baroness Harris of Richmond, are "gravely concerned that
the British government has acted unilaterally to suspend the
institutions and cancel planned elections to the Northern
Ireland Assembly with no date set for a new ballot".


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>>>>>> Human Rights Commission crisis puts investment at risk

Sinn Fein spokesperson on Equality and Human Rights, Bairbre
de Brun, has expressed concern that the approach of the Human
Rights Commission to fair employment and parity of esteem
could put future investment in the North at risk.

"The actions of the Human Rights Commission Chief Commissioner
Brice Dickson with regard to the Holy Cross school situation
and the approach of the Commission to fair employment and
parity of esteem may now impact to the detriment of the local
economy," she said. "This must serve as a wake up call to
everyone with an interest in the economic development of the
North.

"Confidence in the Human Rights Commission has been eroded.
Sinn Fein has argued for a programme of reconstruction in
order to restore public confidence. It is imperative that the
requirement under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement for
an independent and effective Human Rights Commission is fully
realised. The fact that continued failure to deliver on this
requirement could now effect potential inward investment
opportunities renders delivery all the more urgent."

In a no-holds-barred letter sent to the London and Dublin
governments, the financial comptrollers of New York have
branded the commission a "failed entity" that needs a
"complete reorganisation".

City Comptroller William Thompson and State Comptroller Alan
Hevesi outlined their concern that the Human Rights
Commission, "one of the main institutions set up by the Good
Friday Agreement", is now "being used to undermine key
provisions of current fair employment legislation".

Thompson and Hevesi together control public investment funds
of more than $180 billion, of which over $15 billion is
currently invested in corporations doing business in the Six
Counties.

Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, both New York
State and City have actively encouraged US companies to invest
in the Six Counties "in the understanding that progress would
continue to be made towards equality and fairness for all".

But now the very body, the Human Rights Commission,
established by the GFA and task to deliver human rights has
become instrumental in undermining its achievement. As the
letter points out, "the draft Bill of Rights produced by the
commission jeopardises important legal protections for the
Catholic minority community and greatly endangers years of
progress that have been made in this area".

The commission recently rejected criticism of the Bill of
Rights but three of its members have resigned over the issue.
Of the original 14 commissioners appointed to the Human Rights
body, four have left and a further two have withdrawn their
day-to-day participation in protest.

The protest followed the emergence of a 'controversial' letter
sent by Brice Dickson to the former RUC Chief Constable during
the Holy Cross blockade in which he discredited the parents
and pupils of the school who had complained about the lack of
adequate policing.

The letter emerged during an application for a judicial review
into the failure of the state to protect the children of Holy
Cross taken by a mother against the British Secretary of State
and RUC/PSNI Chief Constable, Ronnie Flanagan.

Bairbre de Brun said emerging evidence of the relationship
between Flanagan and Dickson is a matter of concern. "The
interference by the former PSNI Chief Constable in the work
and independence of the Commission regarding the Holy Cross
issue is of particular concern. It is unacceptable for Ronnie
Flanagan to attempt to get the Commission to disengage from
upholding the human rights of the Holy Cross children."

The New York letter cites Holy Cross as having contributed to
their call for Brice Dickson's resignation. "The comptrollers
describe Dickson as having been "hopelessly compromised" after
becoming embroiled in allegations that "he took steps to
actively undermine a key human rights case brought by the
parents of the Holy Cross School, that was funded by his own
commission". Thompson and Hevesi conclude that Dickson should
be "urged to resign".

"There must be a complete reorganisation of the commission
with the reconstituted body given full statutory powers,
funding and independence needed to fulfil its mission," said
the two New Yorkers.


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>>>>>> British govenment to defy document ruling


The British government and the PSNI police are set to defy a
coroner's ruling that they hand over unedited documentation
relating to the killings of ten County Tyrone nationalists
during the 1990s. After a delay of two years and 12
preliminary hearings, when the British Ministry of Defence
(MoD) and the PSNI refused to produce all relevant material,
coroner Roger McLernon has now ordered the MoD and PSNI to
produce all intelligence documents relevant to the killings
within 21 days so the inquests of Roseanne Mallon, Jack and
Kevin McKearney and of seven IRA Volunteers can go ahead.

In 1991, Volunteers Pete Ryan, Lawrence McNally and Tony Doris
were ambushed and killed in Coagh, County Tyrone. Roseanne
Mallon was shot dead by loyalists in 1994 while the UVF killed
Jack McKearney and his nephew Kevin in 1992.

Also in 1992, IRA Volunteers Kevin Barry O'Donnell, Peter
Clancy, Sean O'Farrell and Patrick Vincent were executed at
Clonoe, outside Cookstown, County Tyrone, by the SAS.

Welcoming the coroner's 16 September ruling, Roisin Ui Mhuiri,
the sister of deceased IRA Volunteer Kevin Barry O'Donnell,
said: "We expect that following today's decision that the
inquest proper will begin immediately.

"We further expect that the compellability element of the
inquest be invoked and the SAS members and relevant RUC
members who were involved in these killings be brought to the
court," she said.

Ui Mhuiri stressed that the families wanted those involved in
the killings to appear in court so that the "inquest gets to
the bottom of who sanctioned and directed these killings".

Martin Mallon, whose 76-year-old aunt was killed by loyalists
in his house while it was under British Army surveillance, has
called for the videotape from the surveillance operation to be
handed over "in full and undoctored".

Mark Thompson of the human rights group, Relatives for
Justice, warned that he expected British Minister Geoff Hoon
of the MoD and Northern Secretary Paul Murphy to issue Public
Interest Immunity Certificates (PIIC) and refuse the coroner's
order. By refusing to hand over the relevant documentation,
the British government and PSNI will not only be defying the
coroner, they will also be in breach of the European Court of
Human Rights.

According to Thompson, "the Article 2 ruling of May 2001 found
that the inquest court, and indeed all domestic investigative
procedures, were in default of the British government's
obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

"As yet there has been no official changes to the inquest
court in compliance with the May 2001 ruling. As such, the
coroner's ruling will be measured against a series of
continued failings on the part of the British government to
implement the necessary requirements in accordance with their
international obligations."

Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew described the ruling as "an
important step forward in the search for truth.

"The refusal of the British MoD and the PSNI to give the
families access to unedited evidence has been detrimental to
these inquest proceedings," she said.

"The British state will go to any length to prevent the truth
about the policies of collusion and shoot to kill coming out."


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>>>>>> Ex-prisoners dismiss Donaldson criticism


In his attempts to be seen as the most hardline of hardline
unionists, Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson has gone on
the offensive over this coming Friday's commemoration of the
20th anniversary of the 1983 H Block in Donegal.

The event, to be staged at the Holiday Inn in Letterkenny,
County Donegal, will host a reunion of those who made the
heroic dash for freedom from the H Blocks in 1983.

The planned commemoration will also honour the families of
nine volunteers who played significant roles before, during
and after the escape and who have since died on active
service. The families will be presented with commemorative
plaques.

However, Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson described Friday's
event as "disgraceful" and is calling the Gardai to monitor
the function and arrest anyone who shows up at the event, "who
is still on the run".

However, dismissing Donaldson's attempts to disrupt Friday
night's event, organisers say the unionist MP is just using
the issue to score points against David Trimble in the battle
for the hearts and minds of unionists.

He has set himself up as the only person in the Ulster
Unionist Party to stand up to republicans and by targeting
Friday's function he is out to make publicity for himself.

Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane, one of the main speakers at the even
said newspaper that Friday's event should be seen as an event
organised to remember the years of prison struggle and the
commitment of republican prisoners of war, whose sacrifice
destroyed the British government's attempts to criminalise the
republican struggle.

"People remember the Hunger Strike, and rightly so, as the
high point of the prison struggle and the struggle as a
whole," he said. "However, the Great Escape also marked a high
point in the struggle, as it demonstrated to the world that
despite the British government's claims that they had broken
the spirit of republican POWs, they hadn't.

"The audience on Friday night will hear how the escape was
planned and how it was carried out from the perspective that
it was a highly risky military operation that could have gone
wrong at any time.

"And it shouldn't be forgotten that it was such an
embarrassment to the British government because they thought
they had wrecked republican morale within the jail and hoped
it would have damaged the struggle on the outside as well.
What the nationalist people of Ireland got on 25 September
1983 was a morale boost that showed the indomitable spirit of
republicans and demonstrated that if the 'most secure prison
in Europe' could be breached, then they could do anything.

"That is what Friday night is about."


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>>>>>> Dissidents arrested over police board intimidation


Four men and a woman were arrested early this morning in
Strabane, County Tyrone, in connection with attacks against
nationalist members of local policing boards.

They are being questioned about a series of arson attacks and
death threats against members of the 26 District Policing
Boards.

Dissident republicans belonging to the breakaway 'Real IRA'
have been blamed for the bulk of the threats and attacks but
there have also been accusations that members of the
mainstream IRA were responsible for the threats against
policing board members in Cookstown, County Tyrone.

Sinn Fein's Mr Martin McGuinness yesterday denied mainstream
republicans were involved in threatening Catholic members of
the boards which liaise with local police chiefs on policing
issues affecting their community.

Speaking after an arson attack on the car of one policing
board member in Derry and just hours before the latest threat
to Mr Denis Bradley, the Deputy Chairman of the main Policing
Board, the Mid Ulster MP said there could be "no justification
whatsoever for these attacks.

"I am absolutely of the view that there is no mainstream
republican involvement in the intimidation of anyone. There
are microgroups out there who have been active in this regard
and our view on them is very, very clear they should stop,"
said McGuinness.

"In fact, they should go away and catch themselves on, and
disband, and recognise that their strategy is not going to
succeed in bringing about the type of policing changes that
Sinn Fein wants."



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>>>>>> Seanad reform proposals debated


The upper house of the Dublin parliament is undemocratic and
elitist, according to Sinn Fein's leader in the Dail [the
parliament's lower house] has claimed.

Caoimhghin O Caolain said that the Seanad [Senate], largely
modelled on the British House of Lords, was elected on a
restricted and sometimes perverse franchise.

He said: "There is a strong view within our party that the
Seanad should be abolished altogether and that was for long
our party policy.

"This was changed in recent years to a policy of democratic
reform of the Seanad but it must be noted that many people
remain convinced that a second chamber is unnecessary and
wasteful.

"I believe that is reflected widely in Irish society," the
Sinn Fein TD added.

Speaking at a sub-committee set up to consider proposals for
reform of the house, Mr O Caolain said he believed that
senators should be elected by citizens throughout the 32
counties.

"Representation in the Oireachtas for citizens of the six
counties is a huge issue," he said.

"Our proposals would give them a direct input. It would go
side by side with the right of those elected to Westminster
constituencies in the six counties to participate in Dail
debates."

Irish Prime Minister, Taoisech Bertie Ahern said he acepted
that there had to be Northern representation in the Seanad - a
matter which is currently being considered as part of the
reform. However, he added: "I favour Northern representation
but not by an elected system."

Mr Ahern said that he had already made submissions to the
sub-committee about how to give representatives from the Six
Counties a voice in the Seanad and did not wish to address the
issue any further.

The five-person committee began hearing submissions on ideas
for reform yesterday and will continue until Friday.

The review will consider how senators are elected,
representation from the north and the future role of the
Seanad in debating legislation.

It will also look at giving a bigger say to younger voters and
emigrants.



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>>>>>> Feature: Unionist paramilitaries intensify attacks

In the wake of the UDA campaign to drive Catholic residents
from the Deerpark Road in North Belfast, unionist paramilitary
activity has increased across the Six Counties. A group
calling itself the Loyalist Action Force issued a death threat
against Glengormley priest Fr Dan Whyte. The group is more
than likely a bogus cover name for the UDA.

A journalist working for the North Belfast News has been told
that he was under threat from the UDA and bombs were planted
at Catholic schools in Dungiven in County Derry. On at least
three occasions, Catholics have been lucky to escape with
their lives from loyalist gangs.

And in an act of sickening sectarian hatred, Catholics
attending a Blessing of the Graves devotion in Carnmoney were
subjected to vicious barracking by up to 200 loyalists.


ATTACK OUTSIDE SCHOOL

An 18 year old pupil at St Gabriel's Secondary school, in
North Belfast, was attacked by loyalists as he and a friend
made their way home on Tuesday afternoon 16 September.

The Catholic sixth form pupils had just left the school and
were walking along Hesketh Road when two loyalists jumped from
behind bushes and attacked the two students with a lump of
wood with nails in it.

One of the youths had his two front teeth knocked out and
suffered a puncture wound to his bottom lip.

The two attackers ran off along Hesketh Road towards the
loyalist Glenbryn estate.

A relation of the injured youth told how teachers from St
Gabriel's always stand at Hesketh Road to protect pupils from
sectarian attacks but the two students got out of school early
which left them vulnerable to the attack.

"They were just walking along Hesketh Road and as they came to
a corner house two loyalists jumped out from behind a hedge
and slammed the lump of wood into the boy's face. There was
blood everywhere. Michael had his two front teeth knocked
straight out and he has a hole in his bottom lip caused by a
nail that was in to the plank".

Sinn Fein councillor Margaret McClenaghan condemned the
sectarian attack on the youths saying that loyalists are
intent on stirring up further sectarian trouble.


CATHOLIC LUCKY TO ESCAPE DEATH

Nationalists have been warned to be vigilant when travelling
through the loyalist West Circular and Ballygomartin Roads in
Belfast after a loyalist mob tried to abduct the occupants of
two cars in separate sectarian attacks last week.

In the first attack on Thursday 11 September at around 7.30pm
three nationalists in a car had stopped at the traffic lights
at the junction of the two roads, which is a main thoroughfare
through West Belfast, when a group of loyalists ran over to
the car and began attacking it with sticks and bottles.

The young nationalist driver of the vehicle, who was wearing a
Celtic top, tried to evade his assailants but crashed into a
car in front and stalled the car.

The Catholic youth got out of the car and tried to escape but
the loyalist mob caught up with him and attacked him with a
heavy metal chain. They stole the young mans mobile phone and
gold bracelet before a car travelling towards the Springfield
Road stopped and rescued the terrified youth.

The two other passengers managed to escape their attackers.

The driver of the car who rescued the youth said that the
young boy was lucky to escape with his life.

"I was driving home when I saw the incident and the young lad
being beaten by a loyalist mob. There were about 10 of them
but some started to use mobile phones and suddenly three cars
appeared on the scene. We stopped and pulled the youth into
the car before driving out of the area. The young man was
terrified".

The woman added, "God knows what they would have done to the
lad if we hadn't come along at the right time".

Then Friday 12 September at 9.30pm a car carrying three
nationalists, one of whom was wearing a County Antrim GAA
shirt, was attacked at the same traffic lights by around 20 to
30 loyalists.

The occupants managed to escape their attackers.

Sinn Fein councillor Margaret McClenaghan has warned
nationalists travelling from West to North Belfast to be very
vigilant after these attacks.

"It seems to be that loyalists are watching vehicles
travelling along the West Circular Road and any hint
whatsoever that the occupants of the cars are Catholics they
are using their mobile phones to summon gangs of loyalists to
attack the cars at the traffic lights".

McClenaghan added that loyalists have been seen circling the
area in cars looking out for intended targets.

"Nationalists should be very careful when travelling through
these areas. "This young lad is very lucky to be alive, people
should be vigilant at all times when travelling through this
area".


DEERPARK HOMES ATTACKED AGAIN

meanwhile, Catholics in the Deerpark Road road area of North
Belfast are recoevering after coming under attack for the
third week running.

On Sunday 14 September at around 10.30pm, loyalists drove into
the Deerpark Road in North Belfast in a red car. The driver of
the car slowed down and two men got out of a car and threw
bricks at two houses, breaking windows in both houses.

In one of the attacks a missile was thrown with such force
that it embedded itself in a wall.

One of the occupants of the homes, who wishes to remain
anonymous told how she saw the car drive into the Deerpark
Road with its lights out.

"It was very suspicious as all its light were turned off. Two
loyalists got out while the driver of the red car parked
further up the street with the engine running. They got bricks
from a building site beside our homes and threw them at the
windows. They then ran and got back into the car and drove off
towards the loyalist Torrens area.".

The woman told how her 13 year old daughter was terrified as
the brick came through the double glazing at the front of the
house.

"The glass was everywhere, my foot got cut as I tried to get
out of the way. I have a 6 year old son with special needs and
I'm thankful he slept through the attack but my daughter was
petrified".

The woman said her husband chased the car but they made good
their escape, driving past the massive Oldpark PSNI barracks.

North Belfast Sinn Fein councillor Margaret McClenaghan
described the sectarian attack as a blatant act designed to
instil fear into the Catholic residents of the Deerpark area.

"These are premeditated attacks orchestrated by well known
unionist paramilitaries from the Glenbryn area. Everyone in
the area knows who is carrying out these sectarian attacks but
still the PSNI do nothing about them".

McClenaghan called on all political and community leaders from
the Protestant community to condemn the attacks.

-------------

Below is a list of the recent loyalist activity:

* A Catholic man is lucky to be alive after he was struck on
the head with a hatchet by a gang of Shankill loyalists, as he
walked home along Carrick Hill in the early hours of Sunday 7
September.

* On Wednesday 10 September loyalists daubed sectarian
graffiti on the front of St Mary's Catholic chapel in
Glengormley. The slogan KAT (Kill all Taigs) was painted
across the doors of the church on the Carnmoney Road.

* In Derry last week, the UDA threatened to take action
against what it described as 'known republicans' in the
Waterside area. The warning was issued in a statement released
by the Ulster Political Research Group and comes on the back
of a press conference last month when the UPRG warned that the
UDA ceasefire in Derry was coming under strain.

* On Thursday 11 September, loyalists attacked cars at the
West Circular and Ballygomartin Roads in Belfast. A young
driver, targeted for wearing a Celtic top, was assaulted and
robbed but narrowly escaped being abducted. On Friday 12
September a car carrying three nationalists, one wearing a
County Antrim GAA shirt, was attacked at the same traffic
lights by around 20 to 30 loyalists, but they managed to
escape unscathed.

* On Friday 12 September, members of the PSNI visited the
offices of the North Belfast News to warn a journalist with
the paper that his life is under threat from unionist
paramilitaries. The journalist, who wishes to remain
anonymous, said he would not be intimidated out of his job.
The threat came as a result of the newspaper's decision to
publish a photograph of the man named as the new North Belfast
brigadier of the UDA.

* Just hours before Cemetery Sunday devotions at Carnmoney on
Sunday 14 September, Glengormley priest Father Dan White was
warned his life was under threat from the Loyalist Action
Force, a cover name used by the UDA. During proceedings,
loyalist protesters blew horns and whistles outside the gates
in an attempt to disrupt the blessing of the graves ceremony.

* On Sunday 14 September, a number of Catholic graves were
desecrated at St Patrick's Church cemetery, Ballyargan, in
Scarva, County Down, the latest sectarian attack at a
graveyard. Eight graves had headstones broken and flowers and
wreaths were strewn about the grounds.

* On Sunday also, loyalists attacked Catholics homes in the
Deerpark Road area of North Belfast for the third week
running.

* British Army bomb disposal experts made safe two devices
found at Catholic schools in Limavady and Dungiven on Monday
15 September. Unionist paramilitaries had left the devices at
St Patrick's High School, Dungiven, and St Mary's High School
in Limavady, just ten miles away. Both devices were found to
contain explosives but no detonators.


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>>>>>> Analysis: Direct rule a disaster

By Pat Doherty, Sinn Fein Vice President

Direct Rule is a disaster - we have part time Direct Rule
Ministers with remits over multiple departmental
responsibilities and have neither the time, even if they
possessed the hunger, to bring forward major initiatives to
better the lot of people here. Apart from attempting to use
the absence of the Assembly to push Water Charges and other
revenue raising measures for the Exchequer, no one can be in
any doubt that the Direct Rule Ministers are merely going
through the motions.

This is amply illustrated by the response I received from a
letter I wrote to Economy Minister Ian Pearson following the
Spring British/Irish Intergovernmental Conference and the
subsequent Joint Declaration in which it was declared that
"Strabane is an area which requires significant investment".
My letter sought details from the Minister as to what
practical measures would result from this declaration for
Strabane.

Direct Rule Minister John Spellar responded on behalf of the
NIO and his answer was disappointing but not surprising.

He regurgitated measures and developments that were old hat
and his response contained absolutely nothing new. Therefore,
as I went to meet with NIO Economy Minister Ian Pearson last
Thursday to once again press the case for significant
investment in West Tyrone, I was under no illusion as to the
nature of the Direct Rule Administration with which I was
dealing. I was initially treated to a reiteration of the
points contained in John Spellar's letter. This included a
completely inaccurate account of the supposed assistance
Invest NI has given to the Textiles Industry. When I pointed
out that Adria Ltd, the mainstay of the Strabane economy,
employing in the region of 1,000 people, had not received as
much as one cold penny in financial aid from INI in recent
years and in fact that Invest NI was making a net profit from
its previous 'share' investment in the company, the civil
servants were scribbling like mad on their notepads. When a
government department charged with economic regeneration
doesn't know what its main funding agency is doing shows a
frightening lack of joined-up thinking and exposes the
complete absence of anything resembling an economic strategy.

I forcefully argued for Ian Pearson and his Department to now
take a hands-on approach to the textiles issue and to
prioritise several major job creation projects, presently on
hold, in both Omagh and Strabane, which could easily be
brought to fruition with a minimum of effort and financial
investment.

Ian Pearson gave no definitive commitments on any of the
issues I raised but assured me that he would mandate them to
be followed up. As I have heard all of this before from Direct
Rule Ministers and have waited in vain for a positive
response, I will also be raising all these issues with Dublin
government. As co-signatories of the Joint Declaration, which
declared Strabane as an area requiring significant investment,
I will be taking the Dublin government to task in regards to
how it is going to give practical effect to its commitments in
the Spring Declaration.

However, no matter what response is forthcoming from either
government, the inescapable fact is that these most pressing
of economic issues will remain in no-man's land while Direct
Rule is allowed to continue.