Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“Today in the Assembly Martin McGuinness was asked about how the Executive parties would process the legacy issues which remain outstanding from the recent talks. I used the opportunity to ask co-First Minister McGuinness about his infamous stance at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry where he refused to answer questions about the activities of the IRA on the day because of his “Republican code of honour”.
“How can anyone take Republican protestations about the UK Government refusing to release information on the grounds of national security seriously when we already know that the “Republican code of honour” trumps the truth as far as McGuinness and his Provo friends are concerned?
“I asked McGuinness:-
‘Does the republican code of honour still trump for the deputy First Minister, who demands wholesale disclosure from Government, the telling of the truth? How does that play with lesser participants in the IRA terrorist campaign if someone of the deputy First Minister’s leadership and status in that campaign takes refuge in not telling the truth under the so-called code of honour?’
“Of course in his response McGuinness didn’t event attempt to address the question.
“How, therefore, can anyone have any confidence in the ongoing process to address the past, over which IRA/Sinn Fein has a veto?
“The double standards of Republicans are clear for all to see and victims will reject any proposals which hang the security services out to dry while protecting McGuinness and others of his ilk, who still cling to protecting their Provo secrets.”