FOR the first time in 25 years, the British government has signalled that a new investigation could be held into the events of Bloody Sunday.
The signal was given in a written communication presented by the British ambassador, Mrs Veronica Sutherland, to the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, at a meeting in Government Buildings yesterday afternoon.
She was responding to a Government request for clarification of the British government's position on Bloody Sunday.
The British government stated in the communication that "no options have been ruled out. If there is evidence that is substantial and is new, then that will be considered by our authorities and the appropriate action will be taken".
The "points of clarification received from the British ambassador and cleared by the Northern Ireland Office" also said: "We have said we will examine any evidence put to us with extreme, care.
"We have always said we regret the events of Bloody Sunday as a terrible tragedy which should never have occurred. The Prime Minister has said that the victims should be regarded as innocent of any allegation that they were shot whilst handling firearms or explosives," the document stated.
It continued that the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, said, after meeting the relatives last week: "We regretted that the events of that dreadful day had ever occurred".
In what is seen by Government sources as the key paragraph in the communication, the British government added: "We have not prejudged the evidence presented to us. In his weekend interview, Sir Patrick Mayhew made it plain that we have not had a chance to scrutinise the evidence."
Though Government sources were loath to heighten the expectation of a new inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday, they were viewing the communication as significant last night. The statement that the British government was not ruling out any option which might arise from an examination of new evidence was seen as a much more open positions than that indicated by Sir Patrick Mayhew last weekend.
The Northern Secretary angered the relatives campaign group when he stated last Saturday that an apology would be "unjust" to those who had taken part in the day's events. An apology was for "criminal wrong doing and there is nothing in the Widgery Report to support that".
Meanwhile, the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign, comprising relatives of the 14 killed, presented documentary evidence to the three Coalition leaders at a meeting in Dublin last night.
Mr Bruton indicated at the meeting that the Government was taking the issue very seriously. The new evidence was being examined in a systematic way. He was not in a position to say when this process would be completed.
Mr Tony Doherty, spokesman for the relatives, said they were in Dublin to reiterate their call for the truth to be established about Bloody Sunday.
The relatives also met the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, and the party's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Ray Burke, at Dublin Airport last night. Mr Ahern later welcomed the British government's statement and pointed out that he had asked the Taoiseach to seek clarification of how Sir Patrick's remarks could be reconciled with British policy.
Mr Des O'Malley and Mr Robert Molloy, of the Progressive Democrats, fully supported the call for a new inquiry after meeting the relatives.
They said the British government clearly had all the relevant information.
