The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, said yesterday he was optimistic the perpetrators of the Omagh bombing would be brought to justice.
Speaking after a ceremony at the Garda Siochana College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, where 139 gardai graduated, he said he had met the investigating officers in Monaghan last week to assure them of his support for their commitment and progress to date. He expected there would be further success in the investigation. "As things develop, I have a certain level of optimism in relation to those who carried out the attack and who were involved, that perhaps they may appear before the court," he said.
He added he had discussed the threat from dissident republican groups with the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, earlier yesterday. That threat had not eased in any way and gave cause for concern. "Together we will do everything in our power to thwart their activities and we are working hand in hand," he said.
The ceremony was also attended by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the first visit by a Taoiseach in 22 years. Mr Ahern said today's meeting between the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, his Sinn Fein counterpart in the North, Ms Bairbre de Brun, and the SDLP Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, would be significant, even though it was not a North-South Ministerial Council meeting. He said it was important the "difficulties" of last weekend would not affect the health of people in the North or the Republic. He did not believe there was any confrontation with unionists over the staging of the meeting. The Government had accepted it was not, in the true sense, a North-South Ministerial Council. "If we did otherwise, it could have been confrontational, but there is a clear agenda of important, substantive issues to be dealt with and they can still be dealt with."
Mr Ahern said Gen de Chastelain's role in the decomissioning process was an important one.
"The way to manage this one is to try to make sure that we can succeed in getting John de Chastelain back into the position he has as chairman of the international independent commission on decommissioning."
Ensuring the Patten reforms on policing were implemented and honouring commitments on demilitarisation were also important, he said.
"The one thing we have found in the North is, create too many vacuums and you get into difficulties. At the moment, the one thing we have is too many people saying that they are putting conditions . . . There are too many vetoes, too many conditions. You know, I would like to see all of them removed."