Republicans must confess all on violent past says Trimble

The long suffering people of Northern Ireland have the right to be told the truth about republican violence, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said today.

Responding to Sinn Fein’s discussion document on peace and reconciliation, Mr Trimble said: “The truth about 30 years of death and destruction has got to be uncovered from the dark pages of Republican history.

“Unionists note that Sinn Fein and other Republicans have been to the fore in pushing for inquiries such as Saville, Stephens and others but now the time has arrived for the innocents to obtain justice and this can only be achieved by paramilitaries revealing everything they did over the past three decades of our Troubles.

“The decent people of Northern Ireland who lived through the pain of paramilitarism have to be told that it is over, finished for all time."

The Upper Bann MP called for a "meaningful apology" for all those who have suffered at the hands of terrorists saying it was the only way real peace could prosper for the benefit of future generations.

Launching the 'Truth' document yesterday, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said his party accepted that there were genuine fears and doubts around the whole issue of truth and truth recovery processes.

"However it is clear that many victims and survivors of the conflict believe that some formal collective examination of the past is necessary for them to find closure," he added.

The West Belfast MP confirmed that document would be distributed to the two governments, other political parties, campaigning groups, NGOs and the community and voluntary sector.

(MB)