Sinn Féin President Mr Gerry Adams today said he had an "open mind" over an invitation by a United States congressional committee to give evidence in Washington on what he may have known about the arrest of three Irishmen in Colombia last year.
|
|
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams
|
The House of Representatives International Relations Committee confirmed this week it had written to Sinn Féin urging Mr Adams or his colleagues to testify on the arrests of Mr Martin McCauley, Mr Niall Connolly and Mr James Monaghan in Colombia last August on suspicion of training left-wing FARC guerrillas.
However Mr Adams insisted today that he had not yet received the copy of the letter.
Asked if he was willing to testify, he said: "I have an open mind.
"I haven't even had the time to sit down and think about it nor have I even received a letter.
"So its bad form that the first we hear about this invitation is from The Timesin London.
"When I receive the letter, I will consult with colleagues and we will take it from there."
|
The three Irishmen have protested their innocence and have accused the Colombian authorities of concocting a case against them.
Last October, Sinn Féin admitted that one of the men Niall Connolly was the party's representative in Cuba. James Monaghan was also a former member of the Sinn Fein National Executive.
Last week US Congressman and member of the International Relations Committee Mr William Dellahunt insisted it was essential that they were able to get to the bottom of what the Irishmen were doing in Colombia.
PA