Sir, - Thanks to David O'Donovan (September 5th) for his response to my letter, but I believe he misinterprets what I was trying to say. Please allow me to elaborate.
The Belfast Agreement is vague on the early release of convicted terrorists and it is arguable that the accelerated release of 400 of them is proceeding with indecent haste against the backdrop of the IRA's complete refusal to disarm. There is also the question of the plight of victims who are complaining vigorously to the Northern Ireland Office. Furthermore, I believe it is the will of most people that Sinn Fein accepts the Agreement as a settlement for Northern Ireland (not "the six north-eastern counties", by the way). It refuses to do so.
I was attempting to explain that, before Omagh, the name of the game in this State was to accommodate terrorists. For example, emergency legislation designed to crush terrorism was rescinded in 1994 after the IRA's first ceasefire. This meant it was not an offence to be a member of the "Real IRA" while it re-grouped and bombed Moira, Portadown, Banbridge and Omagh.
I am profoundly a man of peace. The last thing on earth I was advocating was "gangs of vigilantes". I was proposing that to defeat terrorism, communities should follow the example of Dundalk by demonstrating in a peaceful and dignified way and should report terrorists to the Garda.
I hope I am wrong, but I fear violence will continue, controlled by Sinn Fein/IRA, for we all know that Sinn Fein is a small party with little bargaining power without its army of support. - Yours, etc., Robert Barry,
Military Road,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.