IRA statement on recent events

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The following is the full text of an IRA statement issued overnight
relating to the identification of burial sites and missing Armagh man
Gareth O'Connor.
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We hope that the woman's remains found last week on a beach in Co
Louth will bring closure to the trauma and suffering endured by the
McConville family.

Over a month ago we passed on specific information in relation to sites
where the bodies of Jean McConville and Columba McVeigh were buried.

This followed a complete review of all information available to us.

In the course of this review we revisited each case in detail.

We have also previously called for anyone with information to come
forward.

In March 1999 the leadership of Oglaigh na hEireann revealed the
outcome of an 18-month investigation to locate the grave of nine people
executed and buried by the IRA in a period from 1972 to 1981.

In initiating that investigation our intention was to do all within our
power to redress injustices for which we accept full responsibility and
to alleviate the suffering of the families, particularly those families
who have been unable to bury or properly mourn their relatives.

Many complicating factors both hampered and protracted that
investigation including the lapse of time, changes in leadership and
death of members and former members of Oglaigh na hEireann.

Despite all of this the areas identified by us are the burial places of
the people killed by the IRA.

There have been calls for us to provide information on other people who
are missing at this time.

As previously stated by us we are not responsible for all those listed
in the media as having gone missing over the past three decades.

We are responsible only for those we acknowledged in our statement of
March 1999.

We were not involved in the recent disappearance of Gareth O'Connor
from Armagh. Anyone with information about this case should make that
information available to the O'Connor family.

Signed
P O'Neill