The Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, yesterday told Sinn Féin there could be no political progress in Northern Ireland until the IRA ended all criminal activity. In the wake of the £26.5m Belfast bank robbery, which was blamed on the IRA, Mr Ahern’s frank exchange with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness in Dublin had been billed as “High Noon”. It was their first meeting since the taoiseach angrily declared that the Sinn Féin leadership must have known of the robbery plans during last month’s political negotiations. The Irish government has stressed that all paramilitary and criminal activity – including robberies, money laundering and fuel smuggling – must stop before a power-sharing government can be restored in Northern Ireland. Political sanctions were not ruled out yesterday as the Sinn Féin leaders were told to “go away and consider their position”.Full Story
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