End All Terrorist Activity, Says PM; Blair Wants Bread and Butter Issues to Top Debate in Province

Byline: DAN McGINN

THERE has to be an end to all forms of paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Tony Blair demanded last night.

Mr Blair, who announced along with Chancellor Gordon Brown, new borrowing powers for the Northern Ireland power-sharing government which could pump billions of pounds into its budget, stressed that the new political dispensation in the Province needed to be underpinned by an end to republican and loyalists paramilitary activity.

Amid concerns about IRA activity in the wake of the break-in, in March at Castlereagh Police Station, he said: "I entirely understand why the people of Northern Ireland will feel that, yes, it is great that the peace process is going forward, but we have to know that it is solidly founded.

"Government is not turning a blind eye to forms of paramilitary activity and we aren't.

"But there has to be an end to all forms of …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: End All Terrorist Activity, Says PM; Blair Wants Bread and Butter Issues to Top Debate in Province. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland). Publication date: May 3, 2002. Page number: 9. © 2006 Johnston Publishing Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.