The IRA's statement confirming it had offered to shoot the killers of Belfast father of two Robert McCartney was a mistake, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness acknowledged today.
Mr McGuinness said the offer had detracted from the IRA's attempt to dispel claims it was covering up the January 30th murder.
Martin McGuinness
The Sinn Fein chief negotiator told ITV 1's 'Jonathan Dimbleby' programme: "What we have to acknowledge first and foremost is that the statement that the IRA, that they were prepared to shoot the people responsible, was in my opinion a huge mistake.
"It also detracted from what was a very important statement, because the IRA, I think, in this statement dispelled any notion whatsoever that they were prepared to cover up for the people who murdered Robert McCartney... it would have been terribly wrong, and that it would have been deplorable."
Robert McCartney, a 30-year-old forklift driver, was stabbed and beaten outside a Belfast city centre bar and a friend, Brendan Devine, was also seriously wounded following a row with republicans.
The victim's five sisters and partner have accused IRA members of carrying out the attack and other people of taking part in a clean up and cover up operation afterwards. However despite the expulsion by the IRA of three of its members and repeated calls from Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams for witnesses to come forward, police investigating the brutal attack have faced a wall of silence.
The McCartney sisters' campaign for justice, which took them to Washington this month for meetings with US President George W Bush, Senators Edward Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and John McCain, has also resulted in the suspension of seven Sinn Fein members.
On March 8th, the IRA confirmed it had offered to shoot the killers of Robert McCartney but this was turned down by the family during a five-and- a-half hour meeting. The statement was regarded outside of republicanism as a spectacular publicity own goal.
In a series of hard hitting statements, Sinn Fein has, however, insisted republicans must do all they can to help the family's quest to bring Robert McCartney's killers before the courts. But detectives investigating the murder have been frustrated at the lack of information from people present in Magennis's bar on the night of the killing.
Among the 70 or more people in Magennis's were former Sinn Fein councillor Sean Hayes, former Assembly election candidate Cora Groogan and local government election candidate Deirdre Hargey. All three handed in statements to the Ombudsman through their solicitors after it emerged they were present.
Meanwhile Mr McGuinness remained hopeful today all sides in Northern Ireland's peace process were ready to make progress on achieving a deal to restore power sharing after the British general election in May. "What we have to do is bring about a very clear situation where the issue of the IRA is dealt with," he said.
"We tried to do that last December, it didn't work because Ian Paisley fluffed it at the last.
"What we now need to do is recognise that we're not going to resolve this, this side of the British general election which is up coming in a few weeks' time, but my sense of it is listening to the comments of Ian Paisley to RTE, the comments of Tony Blair, the comments of others within the process that people recognise that immediately in the aftermath of that election we are going to have to crack out a deal.
"I actually think we can do it."
PA