Vol. 547 No. 3
157 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has knowledge of a memo, or information on a memo purporting to be from President Bush to Secretary of State, Mr. Powell, indicating collusion of the former RUC in the deaths of persons (details supplied); if he has raised this issue with his British counterpart; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3575/02]
The Deputy may be referring to a memorandum forwarded by President Bush to Secretary of State Powell on 7 December 2001 concerning the lifting of the US congressional ban on training and exchange programmes run by the FBI for the RUC.
In 1999, the US Congress halted funding for training and-or exchange programmes conducted by the FBI for the RUC, or any successor organisations, until such time as the US President issued a report on FBI-RUC training for the years 1994-99 and could also certify that: such training programmes are necessary to improve the professionalism of policing in Northern Ireland and to advance the peace process; such programmes include a significant human rights component in the curriculum; vetting procedures have been established in the Departments of State and Justice, and any other appropriate federal agency, to ensure that training or exchange programmes do not include individual RUC members suspected of human rights violations, including any role in the murder of Patrick Finucane or Rosemary Nelson or other violence or serious threat of violence against defence attorneys in Northern Ireland; and the British and Irish Governments are committed to assisting in the full implementation of the recommendations of the Patten Report.
In his memorandum of 7 December 2001, President Bush provided the necessary certification under all these headings, thereby allowing training and-or exchange programmes to take place between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the FBI. The memorandum also set out in detail how these conditions were being met, including the vetting procedure put in place to ensure that no officers who may have been involved in human rights violations, including the murders of Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, would be allowed participate in FBI sponsored training and exchange programmes.
This vetting will be handled through the FBI's international relations branch. In addition to standard vetting procedures, PSNI nominees must have a written assurance provided by the Chief Constable that there are not substantial grounds for believing that the nominees have committed or condoned violations of internationally recognised human rights, including any role in the murders of Pat Finucane or Rosemary Nelson.
The President's decision to provide such certification was an acknowledgement that considerable advances have been made in implementing the recommendations of the Patten Report. At the time, I welcomed President Bush's decision and noted that it was fully in accordance with the Government's endorsement of the new policing arrangements which were agreed at Weston Park. It is our view that the provision of international training can help to further transform policing in Northern Ireland.
