Sinn Fein leader Martin McGuinness has moved swiftly to distance himself from claims former IRA leaders are ready to apologize to all victims of the Troubles.
Just days after shaking hands with the Queen of England, McGuinness has reacted to newspaper reports that his former IRA leaders will apologize to IRA victims including British soldiers.
The report is outlined in the Sunday Business Post newspaper and says that the Provisional IRA leadership are considering the unprecedented apology.
The paper says that talks are ongoing in republican circles with senior figures pushing for the apology.
But speaking to Irish state television station RTE, McGuinness appeared to discount the story while admitting that his Sinn Fein party are currently involved in ‘significant’ talks with unionist leaders.
McGuinness said: “I don’t know where story is originating from because the IRA are gone; I don’t know who’s going to apologize.”
He did however reveal that he believes a ‘collective’ apology should be issued by all the parties involved in the Troubles, ‘including’ the British government.
He said: “It is absolutely heartbreaking that we have been through almost 100 years of partition in the North, decade after decade of conflict – and a very bitter conflict that lasted 25 years in which an awful lot of people lost their lives. How could you not be sorry that all that happened?
“But if people are going to say sorry, then everybody should say it collectively, in my mind. And that includes the British government.
“The British government cannot exclude themselves from the debate that we’re seeking to have which I think will be good for all of us. We have come a long way, but there is still an awful long way to go.”
On the RTE programme, McGuinness also accused the British Prime Minister David Cameron of becoming ‘disengaged’ from the peace process.
“First Minister Peter Robinson and myself have met with the US president more often than the prime minister,” he added.
In reference to last week’s famous handshake, McGuinness said that he told the Queen and Prince Philip that he recognized that they too had lost a loved one during the Troubles in the IRA atrocity that killed Lord Mountbatten.
“I will not repeat the Queen’s words in response because that would not be proper but she was understanding of the need for everybody to work together to move forward,” he said.
“She was very gracious about it.”
McGuinness added: “The peace process has come an awful long way and is the most successful in the world today.
“But the one flaw in the peace process so far is that no way has been found for dealing with the past and for dealing with victims.
“Currently there are very important meetings being held by Sinn Féin leaders and senior Protestant clergymen and Unionist figures in order to build on the reconciliation phase of the peace process.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.IrelandNorth | Jul 04, 2012, 08:57 AM EDT
I beg to differ. Her Majesty is wearing the 32nd shade of green. Sorry to say, the hateful, vindictive, vituperative and vengeful commentaries by some incurable imperialists is illustrative of the midset which justified second class citizenship for the neo-provicinally minoritised island majority. At least, our international posters will realise at last Afirkaneresque/Britisih Boer mindset that was the main impetus for the most current spate of the Troubles.
seanomelb | Jul 03, 2012, 07:25 PM EDT
bythebay I'm hurt by your childish insult what am I to do? Moron.Sirpeter is correct you're good for a laugh.Mairead bythebay is achild and treated accordingly.
maireadinmelb | Jul 02, 2012, 11:22 PM EDT
How about discussing the issues and the merit of the arguments presented like adults!! Name calling should be left with the children in the playground or parliament! Grow up Bythebay and present facts!
bunkerisland | Jul 02, 2012, 09:29 PM EDT
What shade of green is that the Queen is wearing, the 41st? Looks nearer to baby blue to me. No need to apologize, just leave.
Bythebay | Jul 02, 2012, 05:55 PM EDT
LOL @Moststupidsirpeter, your dopey Medicare and welfare funded US dazed condition makes you more than laughable.
sirpeter | Jul 02, 2012, 04:51 PM EDT
LOL@Morestupidbytheday.Five dopey comments in a row.At least you're good for a laugh anyway.
Bythebay | Jul 02, 2012, 04:10 PM EDT
WoundFeet/GeorgeDillon, Catholics weren't denied education at all. McGuinness didn't have the capability to finish it even though his Catholic school teachers tried their hardest. The bomb and bullet wins when you can't read or don't understand the political process.
Bythebay | Jul 02, 2012, 04:08 PM EDT
seanomelb, you can't even get independence from the Commonwealth in Australia. You're the wasted one in a wasted country.
Bythebay | Jul 02, 2012, 04:05 PM EDT
sirpeter, got your US welfare check this month?
Bythebay | Jul 02, 2012, 04:04 PM EDT
barneyjo, still lives in a walled enclave in Northern Ireland UK with the Irish flag over her head. Thirty years of terrorism accomplished nothing.
Bythebay | Jul 02, 2012, 04:02 PM EDT
maireadinmelb, the IRA Provo Terrorists started the terrorism. It was a direct of result of that many thousands were killed including many innocent civilians. It's on their head.
SeamusMartin | Jul 02, 2012, 01:24 PM EDT
As usual reading the comments is like listening to a broken record. Over and over: tit for tat, Hatfieds v McCoys, north v south, orange v green, sh!t v sh!te... yer a bunch of hatemongers (with apologies to the few progressives)! The amusing thing about it is, not only do you hate all things, you hate yourselves' the most. If you had any stones you'd welcome the peace initiatives welcomed by most. Remember it's so much easier to wage war than to wage peace. Blessed be the peacemakers!
IrelandNorth | Jul 02, 2012, 07:03 AM EDT
Only way Sinn Fein can get to be interviewed on RTE (Revisionist Telefís Éireann) is by pandering to their desingner propagandistic historically illiterate sanctimonious. Cameron's wings may be being clipped by irridentist imperialists in his own party. All sides to the conflict caused collateral damage. Sectarian supremacy and ipmperialism still raising its head (BTB!) Seems the Hibernikaner Boers haven't gone away. Not all Free Staters are West Brits! Apparently discriminated against in Ulster/Northern Ireland responsible for their own discrimination. British imperialism was/is the disease. Irish republican paramilitarism is/was the symptom. Ulster unionists/loyalist paramilitarism the syndrome in the constitutional pathology of Ulster/NI. 3,200 killed in 32 years of most recent Troubles. Apologies are the province of the ego. Actions speak louder than words. Decommissioning mindsets as urgent as arms. NB Bythebay and all apologists for British imperialism.
maireadinmelb | Jul 02, 2012, 06:06 AM EDT
Bythebay do you struggle with numbers - you cannot blame the ira or the provos for all the violence. THere has been violence in Ireland for near on 800 years - the IRA only came into existence in the early 20th century!And considering that there has been conflict with a religious tint since the battle of the boyne and before you really can't use that excuse either! At least get your facts straight before you start pontificating and spewing forth your unintelligent, unhelpful misunderstanding of history!
Beedee | Jul 02, 2012, 02:59 AM EDT
Apologise to each other? So that will make everything much better? Apologies not accepted, admission of wrongdoing is closer to reconciliation. Mending the wrongs is impossible. Too many dead men, women and children. Some caught up in the middle, some murdered, some putting themselves in the firing line. For what?, still the squabbles go on, even on here.
barneyjo | Jul 01, 2012, 06:54 PM EDT
@Bythebay - Still looking for new sacred cows to replace the ones already gone I see. Dear dear!! :)
seanomelb | Jul 01, 2012, 06:18 PM EDT
What PIRA it doesn't exist some people just cannot overcome there Irish hatred. I wish I could withdraw bythebay's oxygen supply,he's a wasted space.
sirpeter | Jul 01, 2012, 05:18 PM EDT
Bythebay Quote"McGuinness never compoleted primary education"Unquote.Looks like you didn't either.Any old fool can acquire an education.Intelligence on the other hand is not so easily acquired.
WoundedKnee | Jul 01, 2012, 02:23 PM EDT
"McGuinness never compoleted primary education". You're right ciara, the Catholics in the North were denied access to education for many decades. They were also denied housing and jobs because of discrimination by the pro-British government there. Hope the British apologize for that too.
seamus60 | Jul 01, 2012, 02:23 PM EDT
Sounds like Martin now wants everyone to apoligise and move on. No concern with what they are apoligising for. Looks like all the major decision makers are nearing a point of agreement to bury the past.
Bythebay | Jul 01, 2012, 12:24 PM EDT
The Northern Ireland UK Provo IRA Terrorists should be in jail for starting and continuing the longest sectarian conflict in world history which they lost. McGuinness never compoleted primary education and his level of thinking certainly reflects that.
WoundedKnee | Jul 01, 2012, 11:00 AM EDT
I think the Southern state should also apologize for its role in all of this. The Southern state abandoned its citizens in the North for some half-century and left them to be bullied and discriminated against by pro-British elements. It refused to listen to their grievances, it even denied them a voice in Irish political life, despite the fact that they were Irish citizens. Sanctimonious Southern Irish like to cultivate a Holier Than Thou attitude to the North, but the fact is their corrupt little statelet shares the blame for what happened. It shows you how far they are from self-examination or honest self-criticism when they have never challenged their nasty little history in this regard.
citizen69 | Jul 01, 2012, 10:52 AM EDT
At the very least the PIRA should be apologizing to their own community which they controlled with an iron fist. They killed more members of their own community during the Troubles than the British Army & RUC combined did and more than any Loyalist terror group.