The `Real IRA' is considering a permanent ceasefire following the Omagh bombing, a senior member of the paramilitary group said yesterday. He said that a consultation process had begun within the organisation and he believed a majority of members could be convinced to support an end to its campaign.
On Tuesday night, the `Real IRA' announced a suspension of its campaign and said that internal discussions about its long-term strategy were taking place.
The organisation announced its formation last March but it was actually born late last year following resignations from other republican organisations.
Security sources say the 32-County Sovereignty Movement is the political wing of the `Real IRA', a claim the group denies.
The `Real IRA' source claimed the 32County Sovereignty Movement had been engaged in dialogue with the Government since February, through an intermediary, and that a debate had been taking place within the movement about the continuation of its armed campaign.
Asked last night about such contacts, a Government spokesman said it would take some time to respond. It is understood that the intermediary was a Catholic priest.
The `Real IRA' source said that the paramilitary group had been divided about its future, with some members arguing that violence was the only way forward and others believing that a peaceful alternative existed.
In April, the Sovereignty Movement lodged a submission with the United Nations in New York challenging Britain's right to remain in the North. Some `Real IRA' members argue that this path offers a credible alternative to an armed campaign, the source said.
They believed that republicanism had been greatly weakened by what they saw as the "constitutional nationalist" direction of the Sinn Fein leadership's and the fact that apparent support of a majority of nationalists appeared to be supporting for this position.
The debate on strategy had been "accelerated" by the Omagh bombing. Until last Saturday a majority of members had been convinced "armed struggle" was the best way forward, but the source believed that this position had changed after Omagh.
The revulsion of the Irish people following the atrocity had influenced the organisation and there was a feeling that the climate was at present far too hostile for a continuation of an armed campaign.
It is also understood that the threat of strong legal measures led to the group announcing its ceasefire on Tuesday night. Sources said the Government had given it a deadline of midnight to issue a statement.
A few hours earlier the `Real IRA' released a statement interpreted as very hardline. It claimed responsibility for the Omagh bombing, apologised for the civilian casualties, but stated that the attack had been "part of an ongoing war against the Brits".
That this was followed shortly afterwards by the ceasefire statement puzzled many observers. The `Real IRA' source said that the claim should have been issued far earlier but that those delegated to issue it had experienced organisational problems.
The source said that dialogue is taking place with the Government, through an intermediary, about a permanent ceasefire. It is also believed the 32-County Sovereignty Movement will talk to the press about its position on this and other issues after the funerals of the Omagh victims are complete.
The source denied that there had been any threats against the organisation from the Provisional IRA, or that a possibility of this had influenced its decisions.
The Socialist Party has appealed to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to call a one-day strike as a mark of respect for the 28 people killed in the Omagh bombing. Today, members will hand a petition with 2,000 signatures to the Union's Northern Ireland Committee.
Ms Eleanor Rodgers said they collected the 2,000 signatures in five hours, which proved the ["]massive support for the one-day strike in solidarity with the people of Omagh["]. She said the ["]stoppage["] would allow Catholics and Protestants to unite in a show of strength against the bombers.