Ahern calls SF ardfheis an `exercise in triumphalism'

The Taoiseach said he had understood that the appearance of republican prisoners at the resumed Sinn Fein ardfheis would be "far more low-key" than it was.

Mr Ahern said it was not a question of getting an undertaking in advance from Sinn Fein on the matter. "In terms of how I believe, I did not think it was going to be an exercise in triumphalism."

Earlier, the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, asked if Mr Ahern was aware of the sensitivities felt by relatives of the victims of paramilitary violence at the ardfheis scenes. He asked if Mr Ahern felt he was quoted in context in a television interview on Monday when he said those who were criticising the events of the weekend were the same people who had been criticising everything all of his life. He added that Mr Ahern had also said the people concerned about the impact of such scenes seemed to have nothing else to say other than no.

"On reflection, would the Taoiseach accept now that there were many people who are concerned about this matter and indeed about its impact on the Yes campaign on Northern Ireland, who are not people who have been saying no all of their lives but who want peace and an endorsement of the agreement in both jurisdictions to be a resounding one?" Mr Ahern said he had remarked in his statement on Sunday night that he had no time for triumphalism. "In the recriminations that have now emerged, particularly in the North, we should not forget the positive fact that the prisoners, both republican and loyalist, have been a significant force for peace and agreement." The Government was prepared to deal with paramilitary dissidents in the strongest possible way.

In his remarks he was directly responding to a question raised with him about what Mr Bob McCartney had said on Monday in an interview on Morning Ireland on RTE radio. Mr McCartney continued daily to attack the UUP and others who were in favour of the agreement, never putting forward any alternative.

"I think in this debate, and the civilised campaign as it is, people have an obligation to put forward what their alternative is. In the absence of that, I think they are negative." He was sensitive to the victims of all kinds of violence over the past 30 years. Pressed further by Mr Bruton, the Taoiseach insisted his remarks were well-considered. He was not going to remain silent and watch Mr McCartney "misinterpret and mislead decent unionist people".

Mr Bruton said what had happened relating to the prisoners at the Sinn Fein ardfheis was counter-productive and antipathetic to the interests of all in the House seeking a resounding Yes vote. Mr Ahern replied: "I agree with that. I think it could have been handled in a far calmer way, and it was my understanding that it would have been."

The Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said he had no doubt the Taoiseach's intentions were honourable and correct, but the perception in Northern Ireland was that he was criticising all unionist spokespersons.

The difficulty of the unionist community in the North in accepting the bona fides of Sinn Fein Fein and the IRA should not be underestimated.

Mr Ahern said he did media interviews daily on the referendums. "I think that anybody listening to the full 4 1/2-minute interview of what I said yesterday would find it entirely obvious who I was talking about."

Replying to the Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, Mr Ahern said the Government did have requests from the Sinn Fein leadership for prisoners to be released to attend the ardfheis. Asked by Mr Quinn if there was a specific request to have the Balcombe Street prisoners released, he said: "I would say they probably did in terms that they gave the names of a number of prisoners, but they were not the only ones, there were different groups."