THE SDLP leader. Mr John Hume, is "hopeful" the British government will grant his request for a new inquiry into Bloody Sunday.
Mr Hume confirmed yesterday that together with MPs, Mr Seamus Mallon and Mr Eddie McGrady, he had tabled a motion in the House of Commons calling on the government to re-open the inquiry into Bloody Sunday, when 14 men were shot dead by members of the Parachute Regiment in the Bogside area of Derry 25 years ago. The motion also calls on the government to repudiate the findings of the Widgery Tribunal, which exonerated the actions of the paratroopers.
"We got 15 signatures on the first day, all of them from the Labour Party," said Mr Hume. "Now our hope is that given the size of Labour's representation in parliament that we will get a majority of the parliament to support the motion, and that would be a very powerful statement."
Mr Hume said the motion, which had the full approval of the victims' relatives, calls on the Prime Minister to repudiate all the findings of the Widgery Tribunal and to recognise that, having a full examination of all the relevant evidence, including in particular the army's radio traffic, the fresh medical evidence and the unexamined written statements from witnesses.
"We refer specifically to the army's radio traffic recorded on the day by James De Witt Porter. That is very powerful new evidence and I think we are in a strong position now and I would hope for the benefit of the families and for the benefit of history that we will have this whole thing cleared up."