Page 9 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS 9
Wednesday 18 November

Putin vows to hunt down, punish Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson, right, and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
speak to the media at Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. Britain
those who bombed Russian jet published a long-sought agreement with Northern Ireland’s parties Tuesday that all sides agreed
would sustain the Catholic-Protestant government in the British territory.
LYNN BERRY
Associated Press (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
MOSCOW (AP) — A somber President Vladimir Putin
vowed to hunt down and punish those responsible Northern Ireland:
for a bomb that brought down a Russian passenger
jet last month, “wherever they are hiding.” Intensified Parties reach deal to sustain power-sharing
Russian airstrikes Tuesday hit the Islamic State group’s
stronghold in Syria that also is being pounded by the S. POGATCHNIK whose Irish nationalist Sinn more than 500 million
French military. Associated Press Fein party represents the pounds ($760 million) in
Russia’s FSB security service confirmed for the first time DUBLIN (AP) — Britain Catholic minority. funds to soften the blow of
that a homemade bomb caused the Oct. 31 crash published a long-sought “Today represents another welfare cuts long opposed
of the Metrojet Airbus 321-200 in Egypt’s Sinai Desert agreement with Northern milestone along the way by Sinn Fein.
and killed all 224 people aboard in what it called “a Ireland’s parties Tuesday as we normalize and build And significantly, McGuin-
terrorist act.” The Islamic state had already claimed that all sides agreed would our society,” said Robin- ness said Sinn Fein would
responsibility, saying it was punishing Moscow for its air sustain their Catholic-Prot- son, whose Democratic accept a new oath of of-
campaign in Syria. With Russia striking IS targets in re- estant government, the Unionist Party represents fice committing all North-
prisal for the Metrojet downing, France hitting militants central achievement from the Protestant majority. ern Ireland lawmakers to
in response to the attacks on civilians in Paris last week decades of peacemaking McGuinness said the reject illegal paramilitary
and the ongoing U.S.-led coalition bombings, the ex- in the British territory. agreement failed to deliv- groups and seek their dis-
tremists were facing a stepped-up assault from at least Tuesday’s 67-page docu- er Sinn Fein’s key demand bandment. An expert re-
three military powers. But the Kremlin said it was too ment titled “A Fresh Start” for investigators empow- port published last month
soon to call it a de facto alliance. Putin heard the re- took more than a year of ered to unearth the truth concluded that the IRA
port on the Metrojet bombing at a late-night meeting negotiations to achieve. about the most bitterly dis- command structure still ex-
of his security advisers in the Kremlin that was shown The British Protestant and puted killings from North- ists and seeks to direct Sinn
on national television. He and his advisers stood for Irish Catholic leaders of the ern Ireland’s four-decade Fein policy.
moment of silence for those who died on the plane, coalition, Peter Robinson conflict. He blamed Britain “There can be no place
mostly Russian vacationers flying from the Red Sea re- and Martin McGuinness, for refusing to lift the veil of whatsoever for armed
sort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. stood side by side as they state secrecy on files doc- groups in our society. There
An unusually subdued Putin called it “one of the blood- praised the agreement as umenting the role of British can be no hiding place for
iest crimes,” and promised retribution for “the murder a landmark compromise soldiers and spies in killings. criminality,” said McGuin-
of our people in Sinai.” “We will not wipe away the that would deliver tangible But McGuinness said the ness, a former command-
tears from our souls and our hearts. This will stay with us economic benefits subsi- deal secured enough er of the outlawed Irish
forever,” he said. The FSB offered a $50 million reward dized by Britain. common ground to keep Republican Army, which
for information leading to the arrest of those responsi- “We have pledged our- the coalition running. This killed nearly 1,800 peo-
ble, and Putin said Russia would be relentless in its pur- selves today to stand to- includes commitments ple before calling a 1997
suit. “We’re going to look for them everywhere wher- gether,” said McGuinness, from Britain to provide cease-fire.q
ever they are hiding. We will find them in any place
on Earth and punish them,” he said. FSB head Alex-
ander Bortnikov said a bomb containing the equiva-
lent of 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of TNT went off aboard
the Airbus, causing it to break apart in the air, which
explains why the fuselage was scattered over such a
large territory. I can certainly say that this was “a ter-
rorist act,” Bortnikov said. He said tests showed the
explosives had been produced outside of Russia, but
gave no other details. Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif
Ismail said his government was informed only on Tues-
day of the results of the Russian investigation, and he
shied away from endorsing its conclusion that a bomb
was to blame. Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh following a
Cabinet meeting there, Ismail said Egypt would “bear
in mind” the Russian conclusion. Aviation Minister Hos-
sam Kamal, meanwhile, sought to cast doubt on the
Russian declaration, saying the technical investigation
into the crash by experts from Egypt, Russia, France
and Ireland had not concluded.q