The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has said that the issue of the early release of the killers of Garda Jerry McCabe will have to be dealt with if a final agreement is to be signed in the Northern Ireland peace process.
At the launch of the Fianna Fáil election campaign, Bertie Ahern said that he had long believed that Sinn Féin would not be able to convince the IRA leadership to move away from violence unless the issue was dealt with.
The Fine Gael Leader, Enda Kenny, has accused the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, of total dishonesty in his handling of the controversy.
Mr Kenny said that people could no longer believe a word Mr Ahern told them, as he said one thing in public and then made secret arrangements with the IRA
Mr Kenny said he would be raising the issue in the Dáil tomorrow.
Earlier, former Fine Gael leader Michael Noonan accused the Government of ‘slithering away’ from an absolute commitment it had given not to release the killers of the Garda Detective.
Mr Noonan made the comments after the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, said that the Government's position was that the four men would serve their full terms of imprisonment.
Mr McDowell said the only circumstances in which that would change would be if there were a total end to IRA activities.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week In Politics programme, Mr Noonan said the Government's stance had been kept secret from the Dáil.
