Political parties unite to condemn contractor's murder

Representatives from across Northern Ireland's political spectrum have strongly condemned the murder of a civilian building contractor in Co Londonderry this morning.

In a joint statement, First Minister David Trimble and Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan condemned those responsible for the explosion, saying they had "nothing positive to offer the people of Northern Ireland".

The statement said: “We condemn without reservation those responsible for this explosion which has resulted in the death of a man carrying out his job at the base. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to his family at this tragic time.

“Once again we have seen how the actions of those opposed to peace bring pain and suffering to an innocent family. Those who placed this device have nothing positive to offer the people of Northern Ireland.”

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said the killing was "absolutely and totally wrong" and offered his "sincere condolences" to the grieving family.

Alliance Party Leader David Ford described the perpetrators of the attack as "cowards". Referring to tomorrow afternoon's peace rally organised by the Belfast City Council, Mr Ford said: "This incident occurred just as the public were about to send a message to the terrorists on both sides that enough is enough. All the people of Northern Ireland want is to be left to live their lives in peace."

SDLP assembly member for Foyle Annie Courtney called for there to be no retaliation to the murder, adding that incident had shattered a period of relative peace for the people of Londonderry.

"I would say to the perpetrators that we have become used to a relatively peaceful existence in Derry and we do not want meaningless destruction of life or injury or for any of our citizens to live in fear," she said.

East Londonderry MP, the DUP's Gregory Campbell, added his voice to the chorus of condemnation but said that the government must assume some of the blame for being "complacent" over paramilitary violence.

"Whether it is dissidents or the Provisional IRA I don't think really matters. There is a man dead, a family that is grieving, and there is a government that are complacent as a result of all these events," he said.

(GMcG)