Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Kenny for his support for the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, which is our sole aim. Deputy Kenny is right in saying that whoever is behind this murder, whether an individual, an organisation or a group within an organisation — I hope they are remnants of the past — must be identified. It is important for many reasons that every effort is made to find the culprits, and that as many facts as possible can be established. The Garda and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will make every effort, and all necessary resources will be put into achieving this. If I am correct, we were talking about Denis Donaldson just before the Christmas recess, and the fact that he had been uncovered as an agent for MI5 and MI6 and had been involved in certain activities for two decades, which ultimately led to the downfall of the Northern Ireland Executive four years ago. As we approach the Easter recess we are talking about the brutal murder of Denis Donaldson as we try to bring back the Executive again. I hope every effort is made to find the culprits and bring them to justice. That is important in the case of any murder, but particularly this one, because there is great interest in who might still be engaged in such activity, in the Irish jurisdiction or in any part of the island.

Yesterday's evil deed is a reminder of the past, but I assure Deputy Kenny and the House that tomorrow is about the future. The British Prime Minister, Mr. Blair, and I will get on with the business of putting the past behind us. We will be asking Northern Ireland politicians to take responsibility to get real progress, and politics, going again, because ultimately the only way we can do that is to have a real political dimension. We will be asking people to sit in the Assembly and to elect an Executive as soon as possible. We will set out how we believe that is possible and allow them time, but it must be done this year. There will be an onus on all the parties, especially the larger ones, to give this initiative a chance. It is time to talk and agree. We hope the parties will take the opportunity which may not come again for some time if not seized this year. I hope politicians can let the Garda carry on the investigations, obviously with the co-operation of the PSNI, while they carry on with the political activity, since the only way we can ultimately stop brutal killings such as occurred yesterday is when politics takes control.

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