THE British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, insisted yesterday on the 25th anniversary of Bloody Sunday that there was "no need" for a new investigation into the killings of 14 unarmed civilians, unless fresh evidence was discovered.
In answer to a question from Mr John Hume, the SDLP leader, during Prime Minister's Question Time, Mr Major described the killings as a "terrible tragedy" and insisted the "lessons of that day have never been forgotten".
However, Mr Major argued that the Widgery tribunal had fully investigated the killings and that he saw "no reason" to order a new inquiry.
If anyone has fresh evidence, fresh relevant evidence, then of course it should be sent to the proper authorities. . Without, fresh evidence I see no advantage in raking over these old problems. With fresh evidence of course we will examine it," he added.
Mr Hume told the House of Commons that Bloody Sunday was the only atrocity during the past 25 years in Northern Ireland which had been carried out by the "security forces with the ratification of the government" and asked Mr Major to explain why the civilians had been shot.
Earlier during Northern Ireland Questions, the Northern Ireland Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, criticised the Tanaiste's call for a new inquiry, arguing that the British government needed "no encouragement about this from, anybody, no matter how distinguished".
Sir Patrick said he would be "surprised" if there was any new evidence in a book by Don Mullan but agreed that if the author, or anybody else, had discovered fresh information it should be submitted to the authorities.
Nearly 70 MPs have signed Mr Hume's Commons motion calling for a new inquiry following the revelations in Mr Mullan's book Eye Witness: Bloody Sunday, that civilians were shot at by troops on Derry's walls and giving details of radio messages from the British army, about their movements.
Mr Andrew Hunter, chairman of the Conservative backbench Northern Ireland Committee, argued that to apportion blame for every incident in Anglo Irish history would achieve nothing. "It is far better to spend time and energies building new relations, rather than reliving past tragedies," he said. Sir Patrick agreed that it was important to move forward. "There is a very long and controversial history throughout the whole of Ireland, but we must not be governed by it," he added.