NORTHERN IRELAND: BUG CLAIM ENDS SINN FEIN BRITISH TALKS

(9 Feb 1995) English/Nat

Talks between the British government and Sinn Fein ended abruptly Thursday when Sinn Fein claimed a bug was found in a room they were using.

The talks were taking place at Stormont, the seat of British rule in Northern Ireland.

A British government minister has denied that any listening device had been placed in the room - although he said police investigations were continuing.

Peace negotiations between British officials and the Irish Republican Army's political allies broke up within minutes of starting.

Sinn Fein delegates claimed the rooms allocated to them were being bugged.

Both sides, however, stressed that their talks would continue as part of the painstaking effort to strike political compromise in the British-ruled province.

Martin McGuinness, leader of the Sinn Fein team, said talks would resume once confidence had been restored.

SOUNDBITE:
"We arrived at Stormont at around one o'clock today. Our security team brought to my attention a strong signal which they had picked up during a routine sweep of the rooms which have been allocated to us for these talks. I satisfied myself that there was indeed a signal and the advice from my security team was that there was a listening device in the room. I contacted Quentin Thomas and invited him to our rooms. He came there accompanied by another member of the British delegation. All three of us satisfied ourselves and established to our mutual satisfaction that there was indeed a signal. "
SUPER CAPTION: Martin McGuinness.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said the talks had to be held in a secure environment.

SOUNDBITE:
"If that room was being electronically monitored then as far as I'm concerned, that is a serious situation. What we're trying to do now and we've been trying to do it since we got back here, is to resolve this matter as has been described so that these talks can continue in a secure environment."
SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams.

Sinn Fein and Britain began their talks on December the 9th, 100 days after the IRA halted its 24-year campaign against British rule of Northern Ireland.

Since then some progress has been made towards peace in Northern Ireland and today the British government was at pains to deny any allegations they had been eavesdropping on Sinn Fein.

SOUNDBITE:
"What effectively happened this morning is that a scanning device in the hands of a Sinn Fein member apparently showed a positive signal coming from a piece of office equipment. As a result of this my head official at the talks had the room vacated and sealed in the presence of Sinn Fein members and the police were asked to investigate. I understand that at this time, nothing has been found, but the investigations are continuing. I would like categorically to state that any suggestion or inference that this room was in any way monitored by or on behalf of the British government is totally without foundation. We want to see this process of exploratory dialogue continue and make good progress."
SUPER CAPTION: Michael Ancram, Northern Ireland Minister of State for Political Development.

Ancram confirmed that British and Sinn Fein representatives were in touch later this afternoon (Thursday).

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...