SF seeks end to UK intelligence work

Sinn Féin has called for the ending of British intelligence operations warning that they could damage the peace process.

Sinn Féin has called for the ending of British intelligence operations warning that they could damage the peace process.

Mr Gerry Kelly, the party's policing spokesman, released a dossier of what it claims is evidence of the involvement of intelligence agencies - MI5, British Military Intelligence and Special Branch - "in the murder of citizens across the island".

Mr Kelly added that these agencies continue to operate and "are intent on destabilising the peace process".

"Sinn Féin has been highlighting these activities for years," Mr Kelly said. "These activities involve the manipulation, control and direction of loyalist death squads in the murder of citizens."

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He said that the dossier, a 17-page document entitled "Who sanctioned Britain's death squads? Time for the truth", had been presented to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs at a meeting in Dublin on Saturday.

Referring to, but not mentioning by name the "Stakeknife" affair, Mr Kelly added: "In the past number of weeks these concerns have been heightened by the partial publication of Stevens, the spying incident involving leaked transcripts of conversations between Martin McGuinness and Downing Street, the British Intelligence briefings and unsubstantiated allegations concerning an alleged British agent in the IRA and the reports of UVF collusion with military and police personnel in the murder of citizens."

Mr Kelly criticised the British response to the claims and demanded "full disclosure".

"The response of the British government has been predictable," he said. "They maintain their wall of silence, their obstruction of inquiries, their failure to disclose information, their destruction of evidence and their refusal to investigate."

The dossier claims that no member of the British army's under cover Force Research Unit (FRU) has been brought before the courts despite attacks on 80 people, that Sinn Féin claims, can be traced to files held by another agent, Brian Nelson, including the killings of 29 people.

The party made a number of demands including the holding of inquiries into the killings of Mr Pat Finucane, Mr Robert Hamill and Ms Rosemary Nelson.

Sinn Féin also sought disclosure of all material in relation to all cases of alleged collusion and to inquiries ranging from the Saville Tribunal into the events of Bloody Sunday and the Barron Inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

The document presses the Irish Government to "seek and be afforded full and proper disclosure by the British government on all information vital to the rights and welfare of Irish citizens and the defence of the peace process".