Questions to be raised with Irish over Agreement commitments

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 12th May 2004

Responding to the speculation that the Irish Government was prepared to release the killers of Garda Jerry McCabe as part of a deal to restore devolution, Alliance Party Leader David Ford has commented:

"Under the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish Government expected the people of Northern Ireland to see the killers of RUC officers released early, but refused to apply the same approach to the Republican killers of Garda Officers.

"What they believe should be good enough for Northern Ireland should equally apply to the Republic. Anything other than that is rank hypocrisy.

"However, since 1998 the Irish Government has consistently refused to treat the murderers of Garda officers in the way that the British Government has treated the murderers of RUC officers.

"It now seems that the Irish Government was prepared to release the killers of Garda McCabe as part of some shady deal to get devolution restored. Clearly, the excuses rolled out by Dublin to justify their double-standards amounted to nothing.

"Major questions are now raised about the commitment of the Irish Government to implement fully its obligations under the Agreement with integrity. Alliance will be pursuing this matter with the Irish Government."