Government officials have been instructed to examine all current legislation and intelligence mechanisms to see what changes are necessary in order to defeat the republican dissidents responsible for the Omagh bombing. The Taoiseach said yesterday that nothing, including internment, had been ruled out.
Early yesterday, Mr Ahern spoke to a number of political leaders in Northern Ireland, including the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, and the Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Mr Seamus Mallon. Permission was also given for the President, Mrs McAleese, to visit the town.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting of the Cabinet Security Committee, Mr Ahern said officials would be looking at the Offences Against the State Act, intelligence and the various surveillance mechanisms that were in place. The republican dissident organisation Mr Ahern believed was responsible for the bombing had been under heavy surveillance since it came into existence. Officials would be looking at what more could be done to "crush" this organisation, he said.
The message from the Government, he said, was that "we are determined to defeat this campaign in short order. Whatever is necessary will be done".
"I am determined to take the hard and difficult decisions that have to be taken over the days ahead." Fourteen members of the organisation were before the court already. The dissidents had already been involved in a number of operations which indicated a level of sophistication. "That required a similar level of sophistication from us in order to take them out of circulation," he said.
All those organisations that were still involved in violence in any way, or had not declared a clear ceasefire should declare an immediate, unequivocal, unconditional cessation of violence. "I expect that rather than going to ground and not saying anything, that they make early statements of their position which we, of course, will take into account in any decisions we make."
The Cabinet would meet on Wednesday. A full assessment of events and of the legislation would be ready by then, he said.
The Garda had been working against this organisation with the RUC and the British police over the past number of months. "I have commended the success of the gardai many times, but in this case they got through with the devastating effects I believed they were capable of. We have put huge resources in place already and whatever resources are necessary will be made available.
"We have all put in too much to bring peace and democracy to this island and I am not going to allow a position where a handful of people, maybe up to 100, but probably far less, thwart the best efforts of the US, the British government, politicians in the North, the Irish Government, but more importantly, practically every man, woman and child on this island. If they in the name of something, and I am not too sure what it is, believe they have some God-given right to go out and involve themselves in the sort of carnage we have seen, well, I am not going to allow them to do that. Whatever is necessary has to be done."
Asked if that included the introduction of internment, Mr Ahern said: "It could mean anything. Whatever has to be done will be done." He said the legislation had been examined and it was his view that the organisation, which had styled itself, Oglaigh na hEireann, was already a banned organisation. However, rather than allow any uncertainty to exist the Government's legal officers would ensure there was no ambiguity.
He did not know for certain who planted the bomb, but had little doubt that they were members of the "32 County Movement, "Real IRA" or whatever else they call themselves. I believe it was that group and all decent republicans who may have been involved in these things in the past would condemn this and I am sure that people like Bobby Sands would not stand over this.
The Cabinet Security Committee met at 10.15 a.m. for about two hours. Only two members of the Government were present, Mr Ahern and the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell. At 12.05 the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, and the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Crime and Security, Mr Pat O'Toole, left the meeting at Government Buildings along with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, Mr Tim Dalton, and officials of the Departments of Justice, Foreign Affairs and the Taoiseach. The Government adviser, Mr Martin Mansergh, and the Secretary of the Department of the Taoiseach, Mr Paddy Teehan, were also present.
Ms O'Donnell said what was being looked at was how existing legislation could be enhanced to deal with the challenge presented by this group. This was a new context. Over the past 14 months the Garda had been relatively successful in hampering its activities. Yesterday it was successful in its evil intent. The scale made it a national tragedy. Asked about the possibility of internment she said nothing was being excluded which would provide the equipment needed to deal with this threat.