NORTHERN IRELAND: LVF CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR LONDONDERRY KILLING

Описание: (18 Jan 1998) English/Nat

A breakaway Loyalist terror group (L-V-F), claimed responsibility on Sunday for murdering a Catholic man in the county of Londonderry.

The man was found dead after having been shot in the head beside a youth club in the small mostly Catholic town of Maghera, 25 miles (40 kilometres) northwest of Belfast.

Police have so far declined to confirm that the man was the victim of the fourth sectarian killing by extremist Protestant gunmen since Christmas.

Residents said the victim was in his late twenties and had recently returned home after working in the United States.

In its statement to Belfast media, the outlawed Loyalist Volunteer Force (L-V-F) claimed it killed the man because he was "a known republican who is engaged in an arms shipment from America".

Using a recognised code word in a telephone call to a television station it also said: "This is not the last".

The L-V-F killings of Catholics have been in revenge for the murder on December 27th of the group's leader Billy Wright inside the Maze prison by an outlawed dissident republican group.

Martin McGuinness, the chief negotiator for Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (I-R-A), spoke to reporters at the scene of the incident.

He said the killing offered further proof that some protestants were trying to do all in their power to wreck the peace process.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I can tell you without fear of contradiction that there is a great anger which will increase as a result of this killing within the nationalist community as to what has happened. And the reality is that many people believe that governments are prone to this type of pressure. And it is very important that people understand where this pressure is coming from. This pressure is coming from unionist political leaders within the talks who refuse to negotiate."
SUPER-CAPTION: Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness

McGuinness said he would discuss this latest incident with British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, when he meets him for talks in London on Monday.

The surprise meeting has been called by Blair while other parties in Belfast start negotiating on a new lawmaking assembly for Northern Ireland, a proposal bitterly opposed by Sinn Fein.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Well we will obviously be dealing with this very serious latest development. This ongoing vicious campaign of sectarian murder which is taking place in our society. But we're also there to point out to the British Prime Minister that what is required are meaningful negotiations which are entitled to bring about fundamental change. And we're going to explain to Tony Blair that we believe there can be no internal settlement. And that he has a key responsibility as has Bertie Ahern to live up to the promises that were made in the past that there wouldn't be an internal settlement. So of course we will discuss with him the way in which this document, the proposed heads of agreement, was placed on the table at the point of a Unionist gun, that's what the vast majority of Nationalists believe. And we will also tell him, I believe without fear of contradiction, that the overwhelming majority of Nationalists are deeply dissatisfied and angry at what has happened in the course of the last number of weeks."
SUPER-CAPTION: Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness

The peacemaking plan, jointly presented last week by the British and Irish governments to the Belfast talks, has been well received by other parties taking part in the peace talks.


But Sinn Fein seeks a united Ireland, and is opposed to establishing

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