Taoiseach is prepared to meet Bloody Sunday victims' families

GOVERNMENT sources indicated yesterday that the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, would be prepared to meet the families of those shot dead on Bloody Sunday. The families have requested a meeting following the Northern Secretary's weekend refusal of an apology for the deaths.

The relatives accused Sir Patrick Mayhew of continuing a British government "whitewash" of the 1972 killings after he said an apology would be "unjust" to those who had taken part in the day's events.

Speaking on Saturday, Sir Patrick said an apology was for criminal wrongdoing and there is nothing in the Widgery Report to support that".

The families' spokesman said they were "appalled" by the tone of his comments, made 24 hours after they met him at Stormont Castle to present him with what they said was "an impressive body of material" on the events of Bloody Sunday.

"He told us he would thoughtfully review the new evidence we presented to him, that he would take advice and let us know concerning our demand for a new inquiry," said Mr John Kelly, chairman of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign and brother of one of the victims.

"Twenty four hours later, he compounds the hurt we have suffered by upholding the internationally discredited Widgery Report and by suggesting an apology would be unjust to those who murdered our loved ones.

"Clearly, Mr Mayhew recognises nothing of our depth of feeling. We are viewing his comments as a clear indication of the British government's intent to continue the whitewash of Bloody Sunday and to resist our just call for a fair open and independent inquiry into the events of that terrible day," Mr Kelly said.

Meanwhile, the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, described as a disgrace the Northern Secretary's statement that there were no grounds for the British government to apologise for Bloody Sunday.

Speaking on RTE radio's This Week programme yesterday, Mr Ahern said: "I'm reluctant to use the word disgrace, but I will.

"The fact of the matter is that the Widgery Report over the years has shown that it did not take into account all of the issues that happened on that occasion," Mr Ahern said.

"There's a good deal of evidence, comprehensive in many ways, to show that what happened was planned. What the British army engaged in was not just an isolated incident."

"I would have thought the British government have to answer this question. Do they accept that the fourteen people that were shot were innocent men? They had no guns, they had no bombs. They were engaged in civil rights action.

"It seems to me that even if they were to move without prejudice further to the question of criminal proceedings ... they should make that move. If they're not prepared to do that they're ignoring all of the substantial evidence."

Sinn Fein's Mr Martin McGuinness said Sir Patrick's comments showed the "racist thinking" of the British government.