IRA crime seen as obstacle to progress

WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) -- Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy said Friday there was no hope of political progress until the issue of IRA criminality had been dealt with.

Speaking to BBC Radio from Washington D.C., where he has been taking part in St. Patrick's Day celebrations, Murphy said the onus was on Sinn Fein to act.

"As far as the political process is concerned, to all intents and purposes we are not talking about any future negotiations or discussions until the issue about criminal activity on the part of the IRA is addressed."

Until that happened there "wasn't any hope at all" of progress to restore the institutions of government in Northern Ireland, he continued.

Murphy also noted the ways in which the McCartney sisters' campaign had changed the political landscape. The sisters met President Bush Thursday to highlight their campaign for justice for their brother Robert McCartney, who was killed by IRA members after a Belfast bar brawl in January.

He said, "The whole of this week has been about criminal activity on the part of the IRA."

He said the McCartney sisters' "remarkable campaign" had "personalized the issue of criminal activity" because people could see individuals who had suffered from brutality.