Dissident republicans were responsible for this blast on Derry’s Culmore Road in October The mainstream political parties in Londonderry have united to urge dissident republicans to end their armed campaign.
The appeal came in a joint New Year statement signed by senior members of the SDLP, Sinn Fein, DUP and UUP.
In it they called on dissidents to “put away your weapons and join with us in making this a better city for all”.
“Irrespective of political differences, 2011 will be the year we commit to working together.”
“We invite every citizen to work with us to create the conditions for a shared city life in this culturally vibrant city.”
The signatories included Foyle MP Mark Durkan and East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell.
Speaker of the House William Hay and assembly members Martina Anderson and Raymond McCartney from Sinn Fein and the SDLP’s Pat Ramsey and Pol Callaghan also signed the statement, as did UUP councillor Mary Hamilton.
Jim Roddy from the City Centre Initiative, who helped bring the parties together, said work began after the last dissident car bomb attack in October.
“None of us want this any more.
“People are saying, let’s build a positive future for the city and create jobs and give our young people a chance and a hope for the future.
“After the last bomb there were a few phone calls made between friends, and we decided we can’t really be going back to where we were.
“So we started talking to some politicians and it grew from there.
“The one thing that came through at all times is how proud we are to be from the city.”
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