The Colombian authorities have requested the attendance of two senior gardaí at the trial in Colombia of three Irishmen on terrorism charges, the Garda has confirmed.
The trial of Mr James Monaghan (56), Mr Martin McAuley (40) and Mr Niall Connolly (36) - who are charged with training anti-government FARC rebels in bomb-making and with travelling on false passports - was adjourned this week when two prosecution witnesses failed to turn up at the Bogota court. It is due to resume in February.
The Garda press office yesterday confirmed that the force and the Colombian authorities were in on-going contact "about the possible attendance of the gardaí" at the trial.
"The matter has yet to be finalised," said a spokeswoman.
It is understood the Colombian authorities have requested that Det Supt Peter Kirwin and Assistant Commissioner Dermot Jennings give evidence for the prosecution.
Meanwhile, the delegation of Irish parliamentary and independent observers at the trial arrived back in Dublin yesterday.
They raised questions about the possibility of the three getting a fair trial in February.
The delegation, organised by the Bring Them Home Campaign, included TDs Mr Finian McGrath (Independent) and Mr Sean Crowe (Sinn Féin), Sen Ms Mary White (Fianna Fáil), Mr Paul Hill of the Guildford Four, former Sinn Féin director of publicity, Mr Danny Morrison, former Long Kesh hunger-striker, Dr Laurence McKeown, solicitor Mr Patrick Daly and lawyer Mr Ronan Munro.
They said that the Colombian vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Clemencia Forero, had been unable to guarantee that the two prosecution witnesses who failed to turn up at the court would be present in February.
Some of the delegation met her for an hour on Thursday.
Ms Caitriona Ruane, spokeswoman for the Bring Them Home Campaign, called on the Irish Government to "intervene immediately to halt this trial".
Echoing her, Mr Crowe said that pre-trial publicity had "contaminated" the proceedings.
They cited as an example an article published in the Washington Post in August in which the former Colombian president Andres Pastrana wrote: "Like the United States in the fight against al-Qaeda, we are fighting against a multinational terrorists' network. Some months ago IRA members in Colombia were captured after training FARC guerillas in urban terrorism." Mr McGrath expressed his concern for the safety of the three. "I would say their lives are in serious danger," he said.
The men are being detained in La Modelo Prison, where he said they were "holding up very well".
Mr Hill described the prison as "the most horrific prison I have ever been in in my life".
He said 40 people had been killed there this year, nine killed last year while a "lady reporter was abducted by the guards, raped and murdered, her body dumped by the side of the road".
Ms White said she found it "very suspicious" that the two prosecution witnesses "could not be delivered" and that the trial was getting such international media attention, "at such a delicate time in our own peace process".
"They [the three\] have been found guilty by the world media," she claimed, "which is very serious from a human rights point of view."
Ms Ruane said: "We are convinced the prejudicial comments have irrevocably contaminated the trial process and we hope the Colombian state will reach the same conclusion."
The delegation had asked Ms Forero to take legal advice on the issue of prejudicial pre-trial publicity, and she had indicated that she would do so, Ms Ruane added.
