Blair 'troubled' over Fullerton allegations
BRITISH PRIME Minister Tony Blair was "genuinely troubled" when presented yesterday with claims that British forces colluded in the murder of Sinn Fein councillor Eddie Fullerton, according to a Donegal County Councillor.
Speaking after meeting with Mr Blair at 10 Downing Street, Buncrana-based Sinn Fein councillor, Padraig Mac Lochlainn, said the hour-long talk in the company of his party leader Gerry Adams, and colleagues Martin McGuinness, Mary Lou McDonald and Conor Murphy was "frank and positive".
by Ian Cullen
Colr. Mac Lochlainn specifically raised the 1991 murder of the Donegal Sinn Fein councillor in Buncrana and presented Mr Blair with a letter from Eddie's widow, Dinah.
"I raised the case of the murder of Eddie Fullerton in which we believe the British forces were directly involved in political assassination. Other cases were also raised in which we believe British forces were involved in covering up for killers including in the murder of Carndonagh man Henry Cunningham and Oliver Boyce and Breege Porter."
Mr Blair was told of evidence to support the claim that two of the weapons used in the killing of Colr. Fullerton were used in 13 other loyalist murders, including the Greysteel Massacre on Halloween night 1993.
"That evidence only came to light during the course of the Fullerton family's investigation late last year but could have been established much earlier with the co-operation of the British Government.
"I put it to Mr Blair firmly that what happened was unacceptable and has to be dealt with, and that he must show the same commitment as has been shown by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to co-operating in investigations into collusion.
Acknowledgement
"He made an acknowledgement that it was something that genuinely troubled him greatly that the families had not had closure in relation to the killings of their loved ones.''
Colr. Mac Lochlainn said Mr. Blair was particularly concerned about the claims of collusion outside the British jurisdiction, namely the Dublin Monaghan bombings and the murder of Colr. Fullerton.
During the meeting the case of Henry Cunningham was raised Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness. Mr. Cunningham was shot dead by gunmen on the M2 Motorway outside Belfast on August 9, 1973 while on his way back to Carndonagh after working on a building site.
Robbie Cunningham has maintained that the RUC knew the identity of his brother's killers at the time of the inquest into his death. "There were six boys pulled in for Henry's murder and one of them had the gun. We are looking for answers, not just in Henry's case, but in all the cases of collusion from the start of the troubles up to know.
Mr Cunningham is hopeful of getting to the truth about his brother's murder through the Historical Enquiries Team.
Young couple Breege Boyce and Oliver Porter were found brutally slain on a rural laneway near Burnfoot in 1972 but no one was ever brought to justice for the loyalist killings.
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