Washington, D.C. March 29, 2002 -- A proposal by
the Chairman of the House International
Relations Committee(HIRC), Congressman Henry
Hyde(R.-IL.) , to hold Hearings on three
Irishmen jailed in Columbia is causing hurt and
bewilderment to Irish-Americans who are working for
peace in Northern Ireland.They see the move as "
harassment Hearings" --- harassing the Irish
peace-process and especially one of its main
architects, Mr. Gerry Adams M.P., President of Sinn
Fein.
Father
Sean Mc Manus, President of the Capitol
Hill-based Irish National Caucus, who is leading the
campaign against the proposed Hearings said:"
I've always held Congressman Hyde in high regard.
Until now he's always been supportive of the Irish
peace-process, but I don't know what's gotten into
him.I tried to warn him that such Hearings would
inevitably be seen as an attempt to harm the Irish
peace-process by
embarrassing
Sinn Fein.But his office for months now has
carried out a press campaign of
leaks, innuendo and gross unfairness to Sinn
Fein--- not to mention
jeopardizing the chance of due process for the
three jailed Irishmen in Columbia.He has been
incredibly unfair and irresponsible".
As an example of Hyde's
unfairness, Fr. Mc Manus pointed to the
letter Hyde sent to Gerry Adams inviting him to
testify at the Hearings: " The letter was
first given to the hostile British
Press before being given to Adams and gave the
title of the Hearings as 'The IRA in Columbia -- The
Global Links of International Terrorism'. How
can any
fair-minded person defend that? It sounds more
like Senator Joe Mc Carthy than it does someone who is
duty-bound to be fair,impartial and judicious".
Pointing out that the Irish
National Caucus is nonviolent and has no foreign
principal , Fr. Mc Manus
added : " Gerry Adams has risked his life
and liberty to bring justice and peace to Ireland. He
is an Irish patriot who is a hero to millions of
Irish-Americans. It is so sad and shameful that
Chairman Hyde would treat him with such disrespect and
unfairness.It does no good to the U.S.and grievous
harm to Ireland. But then ...
this is not the first Easter that Irish
patriots were mistreated by
unfair and irresponsible
demagoguery.
