Britain, Ireland in secret dissident talks

Britain and Ireland have held secret talks with dissident republicans in Northern Ireland linked to recent bombings, the province’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said yesterday.

The comments from Mr McGuinness, of Northern Ireland’s biggest republican party Sinn Fein, contradict comments made on Monday by Britain’s Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson dismissing the idea of talks.

Republican groups opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process have been blamed for a series of car bombings or attempted car bombings which targeted an army major, a policewoman and a civilian police worker in recent days.

Although no one has been killed in the attacks, they have fuelled fears of a return to fatalities.

Mr McGuinness, who has repeatedly condemned such incidents, said he thought talks with dissidents were important.

“Some of these dissident groups, I know for a fact, have been involved in discussions with both the Irish and the British government in recent times,” he told BBC radio.

“I know it’s happening and that suggests to me that these groups are recognising that at some stage they are going to have to wake up and smell the roses in terms of their inability to destroy the peace process and bring down the institutions that have such overwhelming support among our people.”

London and Dublin rebutted his comments.