THE Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, yesterday confirmed he had sent a letter of condolence to the family of IRA murder victim, Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick.
Mrs Rita Restorick, mother of the 23-year-old British soldier shot dead by an IRA sniper at an army checkpoint in Bessbrook, south Armagh, a month ago, had sent Mr Adams a photograph of her son.
Speaking yesterday to The Irish Times, Mrs Restorick said the letter of condolence from Mr Adams was "quite a pleasant surprise".
While Mr Adams refused to reveal the content of the letter, the soldier's mother said the Sinn Fein president had passed on his condolences. He had told her he was "committed to bringing about a lasting peace" and was "moved by the dignity of the family and their call for inclusive talks".
Mrs Restorick said she had told Mr Adams that the talks could only proceed if there was another IRA ceasefire and called on the IRA to use the period of Lent to bring it about.
"I felt he responded as one person to another, not as a politician. It was quite a pleasant surprise, said Mrs Restorick.
"But there is a huge hole in our lives now. Stephen was so full of love and life. The light has gone," she said. "It is exactly a month since he died. We want his death to be the last." Mrs Restorick repeated calls she had made in an open letter to politicians in Northern Ireland to get around the table and talk.
"You can never justify gaining your aim through violence. The Catholics in the North have got to make it obvious they do not support violence, got to say it louder and put more pressure on the politicians," said Mrs Restorick.
Asked how he felt when he received the photograph of the young soldier, Mr Adams said: "I made the point at the time when Stephen Restorick was killed that every death in this situation diminishes every one of us and I have written to his parents.
"I think they have shown remarkable courage and dignity. I want to make the point that, in both their public utterances and in their correspondence, they are keen for proper talks.
"In fact, I think they have shown great charity, compassion and dignity, but they have also shown great foresight and courage and I also think they also reflect the views of many, many more people in Britain who want to see peace in our country," said Mr Adams.