Belfast Telegraph
20 March 2008

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness today confirmed that he felt the most expensive inquiry in British legal history would not have been necessary if Tony Blair’s government had apologised about Bloody Sunday.

The Deputy First Minister spoke out after former senior Downing Street advisor, Jonathan Powell, claimed in a new book that Mr Blair regretted setting up the Saville Inquiry.

In Great Hatred, Little Room: Making Peace in Northern Ireland, Mr Powell claimed Mr McGuinness privately admitted that the inquiry was an unnecessary concession when an apology would have sufficed.

Today Mr McGuinness said the Government should have “come out with its hands up” over the killing of 13 unarmed men by soldiers on January 30, 1972. Another man died later after being wounded.

Mr Powell’s claim raised eyebrows among families of those killed on Bloody Sunday, who said they wanted to hear Mr McGuinness’s explanation of what was said.

Mr McGuinness today said he had told Mr Blair that the Government needed to make a full admission about what happened when 14 people were killed by paratroopers in 1972.

He said: “I clearly recall the conversation alluded to by Jonathan Powell and in fact have publicly referred to it myself on a number of occasions.

“I told Tony Blair and Jonathan Powell that what was required was for the British government to come out with its hands up and admit the truth of Bloody Sunday. In those circumstances there would have been no need for an inquiry.”

Mr Powell’s claims that an apology would have been enough reignited unionist opposition to the cost of the inquiry, and fuelled nationalist anger at continued attacks on it.

DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, Lagan Valley insisted there was no need for the inquiry, claiming: “The Government owes us an explanation about why it proceeded with this inquiry.”

But angry nationalists said cost was being used as an excuse by those who wanted to cover up what happened. John Kelly, whose brother Michael was one of the 14 civilians killed by paratroopers in the Bogside today said he ” can see where Martin McGuinness is coming from”. But he insisted: ” An inquiry was important for people to get closure, and to get the full truth.”

He also said the families were tired of complaints about cost, adding: ” If they hadn’t murdered our people in 1972, and if there had been a truthful inquiry then, cost wouldn’t be an issue today.”