The position of controversial NIO Minister John Spellar is looking increasingly precarious today following the decision of Belfast Lord Mayor Martin Morgan to boycott his office. See two articles below from the Irish News.
In two further developments this morning Spellar was handed a letter of protest about the Peter Mc Bride case by Derry SDLP mayor Shaun Gallagher while on a short unannounced visit to the city. Speaking afterwords on BBC Radio Foyle the mayor said that he was following the example set by his SDLP counterpart in Belfast.
Meanwhile members of an Irish legal delegation presently visiting the Iraqi capital Baghdad have been in telephone contact with the Pat Finucane Centre today to inform us of briefings given to NGOs, human rights groups and the media in Iraq regarding the Mc Bride controversy. Wright and Fisher, the two soldiers convicted of the 1992 murder, are presently based in Basra, south of Baghdad. Jean Mc Bride has expressed her anger that the two should be based there. "If North Belfast in 1992 was seen as so dangerous that a murder could be excused, that an 18 year old could be shot in the back, then God help the young people of Basra."
Irish News, 18.08.2003
NIO minister John Spellar has been told that he is not welcome at events organised by Lord Mayor of Belfast Martin Morgan.
Mr Morgan announced the unprecedented step yesterday, just days after the Ministry of Defence said the decision to retain the British army killers of north Belfast teenager Peter McBride would not be reviewed.
The SDLP councillor has also pledged to "turn on his heel" and leave Belfast City Council events organised by non-mayoral departments if Mr Spellar is in attendance.
While he was armed forces minister Mr Spellar sat on a British army board three years ago which agreed, citing "exceptional circumstances", that Scots Guards Mark Wright and James Fisher should remain in the army.
The pair were convicted in 1995 of murdering Peter McBride (18) in north Belfast in September 1992.
Mr Morgan is to write to Mr Spellar outlining his disgust at the government's refusal to re-examine the case.
"In addition I will inform him that, as long as I am Lord Mayor he will not be welcome in my offices and parlour," he said.
"As long as such injustices persist there will always be mistrust of the British government's role in human rights abuses and investigations," he added.
Mr McBride's mother Jean, backed by human rights groups, failed in her bid to have the decision overturned - despite the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal ruling in June that the army was wrong to allow the two killers to remain in service.
Last week armed forces minister Adam Ingram wrote to Mrs McBride informing her that the decision to retain Wright and Fisher would not be re-examined.
The letter also revealed that one of the soldiers has been promoted since being allowed to return to service in 1998.
Mr Spellar has repeatedly refused to publicly discuss
the case since his cabinet reshuffle appointment to replace former NIO minister Des Browne in June.
The inclusion of human rights and victims portfolios under Mr Spellar's ministerial responsibility was also criticised by nationalist and republican politicians.
Mr Spellar also initially refused to meet Mr McBride's family, but relented following political pressure from both Sinn Fein and the SDLP.
Mrs McBride stormed out of the Castle Buildings meeting last Monday, when it emerged that one of the minister's aides had to telephone the MoD to find the latest position on the Wright and Fisher case.
Accusing Mr Spellar of being unfit to hold office, she branded the minister an "absolute disgrace" for not knowing the latest information on the soldiers case prior to the meeting.
It emerged later last week that the MoD letter to Mrs McBride was dated August 7 - four days before she met Mr Spellar.
Last night an NIO spokeswoman refused to comment on Mr Morgan's statement.
Irish News 18 August 2003
Belfast's Lord Mayor has vowed to boycott any events attended by NIO minister John Spellar in protest at the government's refusal to expel two convicted killers from the British army.
Martin Morgan declared that Mr Spellar "is not welcome" in his parlour, following a decision not to review the position of Scots Guardsmen Mark Wright and James Fisher.
The pair were convicted in 1995 of the murder of father-of-two Peter McBride (18) in north Belfast in 1992.
As former armed forces minister, Mr Spellar sat on an army board which controversially agreed they should be allowed to remain in the army, citing "exceptional circumstances".
The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal ruled in June this year that the army was wrong to decide the killers could remain in service.
However, armed forces minister Adam Ingram last week wrote to Jean McBride, the victim's mother, to inform her that the army's decision would not be re-examined.
Mr Morgan said yesterday he would be writing to Mr Spellar to outline his disgust at the decision.
The SDLP councillor also announced that he would "turn on his heel" and leave Belfast City Council events organised by non-mayoral departments if Mr Spellar was in attendance.
"I will inform him that, as long as I am Lord Mayor, he will not be welcome in my offices and parlour," he said.
"If there's any function or business that requires my participation, and John Spellar will be there, I won't be," he added.
"As long as such injustices persist there will always be mistrust of the British government's role in human rights abuses and investigations."
Mr Spellar has refused to publicly discuss the case since he replaced former NIO minister Des Browne in a cabinet reshuffle in June.
He also initially refused to meet Mr McBride's family, but relented following pressure from politicians and human rights groups.
However, Mrs McBride stormed out of the Castle Buildings meeting last Monday, when it emerged that one of the minister's aides had to telephone the Ministry of Defence to find the latest position on the case.