U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
May 16, 2001
PRESS STATEMENT
NORTHERN IRELAND: DESIGNATION OF THE "REAL IRA" AS A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General and
the Secretary of the Treasury, today
designated the so-called "Real Irish Republican Army" or "Real IRA"
as a Foreign Terrorist Organization pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality
Act. This designation, which is being published today in the Federal Register,
identifies several aliases used by the Real IRA, including the 32 County
Sovereignty Movement and the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association.
This action makes it illegal for persons in the United States or subject
to U.S. jurisdiction to provide material support to the Real IRA or any
of its named aliases, requires U.S. financial institutions to block assets
of the designated groups, and enables us to deny visas to representatives
of the group.
The Secretary decided to designate the Real IRA as a Foreign Terrorist Organization because since 1998 it has carried out a campaign of terrorism in Northern Ireland and Britain. The Real IRA's most lethal attack -- a car-bombing on a shopping street in Omagh, Northern Ireland in August 1998 -- killed 29 people and wounded hundreds. The group has made it clear that its terrorist attacks are motivated by its desire to undermine the Good Friday Agreement, which was approved by the major political parties in Northern Ireland in April 1998 and overwhelmingly endorsed in a referendum by the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Secretary made this decision following close consultations with both the British and Irish Governments.