'Republican terrorists' blamed for N. Irish bomb

RUC officer at the scene of Tuesday's shooting

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- A bomb attack blamed by police on "republican terrorists" is putting extra pressure on Northern Ireland's peace process.

A policeman was seriously injured by a booby-trap bomb and a former Protestant peace delegate was shot dead overnight, the second fatal shooting in less than 12 hours.

The policeman was hurt in an explosion at a police station in Castlewellan, about 25 miles (40 km) south of Belfast, after a bomb was triggered when officers entered the building on Wednesday morning.

"It was a cowardly and evil act...It was also an attack on the democratic process at a time when representative politicians are striving to reach accommodation on the way forward," Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen said in a statement issued in Dublin.

Police said they were treating the bomb as an attack by "republican terrorists." It follows a string of attacks on security forces blamed on dissident paramilitary groups opposed to the province's peace process.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) and other mainstream groups are observing ceasefires after 30 years of strife that have claimed 3,600 lives.

Meanwhile two Protestant men, one a former peace delegate, were shot dead in separate attacks on Tuesday which political sources blamed on feuding between Protestant paramilitary groups.

Six men have been killed in Northern Ireland in political feuding in the last four months.

Politicians allied to the warring groups appealed for calm.

Northern Ireland has about 900,000 Protestants, most of whom support a continued union with Britain, and about 600,000 Roman Catholics, who favour closer links with the Irish Republic to the south.

A 1998 peace agreement established a joint Catholic-Protestant power-sharing executive which has been sporadically beset by crisis since its inception.

In the latest crisis, Northern Ireland's First Minister David Trimble has said he will exclude Sinn Fein -- political allies of the IRA -- from an all-Ireland council unless the guerrillas hold talks with a disarmament commission on handing over their weapons.

Sinn Fein's Bairbre de Brun, Northern Ireland's health minister, was due to hold a meeting later on Wednesday to outline her strategy against Trimble -- who is also the head of the Protestant Ulster Unionist Party.

"Minister de Brun will deal with attempts by David Trimble to discriminate against Sinn Fein ministers and will indicate her approach to the forthcoming All-Ireland ministerial meeting due to take place on Friday," Sinn Fein said in a statement.

Sinn Fein has repeatedly said it will oppose any sanctions. Irish Health Minister Michael Martin is due to meet de Brun on Friday to discuss food safety.

The all-Ireland ministerial council was set up as part of the 1998 peace agreement to enhance co-operation between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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RUC
Sinn Fein
Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Assembly

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