The former Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson today called for continuing pressure to be brought to bear on the Real IRA, as it was confirmed he will give £10,000 towards a campaign to sue the alleged Omagh bombers.
Mr Peter Mandelson
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He praised the courage of the victims' families and is to donate proceeds he received from newspaper articles about the Hinduja passports affair to their campaign.
Mr Mandelson, who resigned from the Government last month, said the focus on the so-called Real IRA must be maintained in order for the peace process to move forward.
"The Real IRA are the last remaining obstacle to a successful peace process in Northern Ireland," Mr Mandelson said.
Mr Mandelson and Tory former Ulster Secretary Sir Patrick Mayhew are fronting the Omagh Victims' Legal Trust, hoping to raise £1 million to bring a civil action.
Noone has ever been charged with the murders of 29 people who died when a car bomb tore through a busy street in Omagh, County Tyrone, on August 15th, 1998.
But members of the Real IRA admitted responsibility for the attack.
Mr Mandelson said: "Peace-seeking nationalists, republicans, and unionists, need to see the Real IRA defeated.
"I am convinced that keeping the spotlight on the Real IRA bombers who are well-known to the police, and maintaining the political pressure on that organisation will assist the police and help deter the Real IRA.
"There should be no hiding place for them.
"That's why I applaud the efforts of the Omagh bereaved families and the courage they are showing in mounting their appeal."