The national chairman of the Progressive Democrats, John Minihan, has condemned the Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams, for calling for the early release of the five people convicted for their role in the killing of Detective Garda Gerry McCabe. In a statement, Mr Minihan said that the five did not come under the early release programme of the Good Friday Agreement. And he described any attempts by Sinn Féin to have them included, as callous opportunistic politics of the worst kind. Earlier, the Sinn Fein President said that although their release would be painful for many, the five should be freed because they qualified under the terms of the Agreement. He added that he would be asking the Government to review its position on the matter.
The Sinn Féin leader also said that it was up to the Taoiseach to put pressure on the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to ensure all the Patten recommendations were included in the Northern Ireland Policing Bill. Mr Ahern will hold talks with Mr Blair in Downing Street tomorrow and the meeting is expected to be dominated by the policing issue. The Downing Street meeting at lunchtime is a regular one, which both sides hold every six months.
