The Government last night stood by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman's demand for an independent investigation of the Omagh bombing. This was despite yesterday's rejection of the proposal by the Police Service Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said Mrs Nuala O'Loan's recommendation that a team led by a senior investigating officer, independent of the PSNI, should be asked to conduct the Omagh bomb investigation "still stands".
He said she had made the recommendation with "considerable expertise" available to her. "I still think that recommendation still stands. I do not see any reason why that should change."
Sir Ronnie yesterday proposed a senior Merseyside police officer be brought in to "quality assure" the PSNI's Omagh inquiry. However, he insisted Supt Brian McArthur would continue in command.
Several relatives of the bomb victims said they were disappointed by yesterday's meeting with Sir Ronnie.
Mr Michael Gallagher, whose son died in the 1998 blast, said he was "not happy" with what he had heard at the meeting.
Mr Lawrence Rush, whose wife, Libby, was killed, said while he would be "eternally grateful" to the police officers on duty in Omagh the day of the blast he had not been impressed by Sir Ronnie.
"He is a great PR man and a very affable sort of person. But he is defending a force and there are inadequacies, ineptitude and deceit."
Meanwhile it became clear last night that the Department of Foreign Affairs has been seriously irked by the presence of two senior Garda officers at yesterday's meeting in Omagh between Sir Ronnie and victims' relatives.
The department, which refused to comment on the controversy, first learnt of the Garda's plans to attend on Wednesday afternoon, when told by an SDLP member. It immediately contacted officials in the Police Ombudsman's office to reassure them that the visit should not be seen as a reflection on her work, sources said.
The Department of Justice was informed by Garda headquarters at 4p.m. that afternoon, following which it briefed officials in the Department of the Taoiseach.
Justice Minister Mr O'Donoghue, who is on Government business in New York, was briefed later and did not object.
Last night, the Government spokesman denied suggestions that the Government had considered cancelling the Garda officers' trip at the last minute.
"The Garda made it clear that they were going there to brief the relatives and to do no more than that," the spokesman said.
However, he acknowledged that the Government would not itself have proposed that the Garda should attend the briefing in Omagh.
The Taoiseach said he supported the attendance of Garda assistant commissioner Kevin Carty and Det Chief SuptTadhg Foley.
"The Garda have given three and a quarter years of some of their very best people to the investigation.
"This was an opportunity, when the entire families and relatives were together, for them to give an in-depth report to the families, as we had promised all the way, about our role and response and action. And that's what we did. We understand that that was very useful," said Mr Ahern.
The Tánaiste, Ms Harney, said the absence of the Garda from the event would have been "misrepresented".
Sir Ronnie Flanagan’s statement responding to the Ombudsman’s report:
[ http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/special/2002/flanagan/index.htm ]