The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who came under criticism from the Omagh victims' group on yesterday's fifth anniversary of the "Real IRA" bombing has pledged that the Government is committed to convicting the bombers.
Mr Michael Gallagher, of the Omagh victims' group, said he was "disappointed" that Mr Ahern did not travel to Omagh for yesterday's special commemoration ceremony, particularly as he was holidaying in Co Donegal.
He also believed the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, should have been in Omagh yesterday. "Yes, we are disappointed, but we are grateful for the people who did come," he said outside the memorial garden in Omagh where about 400 people gathered for the ceremony.
Survivors, as well as relatives and friends of the victims, attended the ceremony in remembrance of the 29 people and twin unborn girls who died in the "Real IRA" car bomb attack on August 15th, 1998.
The moving ceremony of prayers, scriptural readings and music reflected the grief of the injured and bereaved and the continuing search for the truth behind who was responsible for the attack and how they carried it out.
There will now be no more civic or public commemorations until the tenth anniversary of the bombing which, according to some of the families, will allow them time and space to deal more privately with their grief.
The families, however, are still adamant that those responsible for the attack must be apprehended and prosecuted. They called for an independent inquiry into the bombing.
"After five years of criminal investigations, we are now calling on the Dublin and London governments to give us a full cross-Border public inquiry," said Ms Caroline Gibson, whose sister Esther was killed in the attack.
"To date, we have had six investigations into Omagh without convictions and we now want the truth about what happened on that fateful day," she said in a statement read after the ceremony.
Mr Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the explosion, said the victims' group was seeking Garda records on the "Real IRA" and transcripts of the court cases against convicted "Real IRA" members Michael McKevitt, Colm Murphy (the only man convicted in connection with the Omagh bombing) and Liam Campbell, all of whom are imprisoned in the South.
He expressed much disappointment that neither Mr Ahern nor Mr Blair attended the event. "We feel a greater effort could have been made given that this is the last public or civic remembrance until the tenth anniversary. It would have been good for the families to have the leaders of both countries here, and that is what we attempted to do," Mr Gallagher stated.
The Taoiseach, in a statement, said the Government was "deeply committed to pursuing the perpetrators of the Omagh bombing and to achieving justice for the victims and their relatives".
The Taoiseach's brother and a Minister of State, Mr Noel Ahern, attended yesterday's ceremony with the North's security minister, Ms Jane Kennedy. He said there was no question of the Taoiseach snubbing the families.
Mr Noel Ahern said he was in Omagh representing the Taoiseach. Of his brother's absence, he said: "It is August, he is taking a few days' break." He added: "The Taoiseach has shown and the Government has shown their commitment to the people of Omagh and to the victims' group over the past years."
The Omagh victims' group, with funding of at least £800,000 from the British government, is taking a £10 million civil case against McKevitt, Campbell and Murphy, as well as against Dundalk-based men Mr Seamus Daly and Mr Seamus McKenna.
The Taoiseach's statement indicated that the Government, as well as being committed to pursuing criminal cases against the bombers, was also anxious to assist the victims' group in its civil case.
Mr Ahern also confirmed plans for a meeting next month between the Omagh families and Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, "with a view to providing whatever practical assistance we can".
The Omagh group believes the Government should help fund the civil case.
Ms Kennedy said there would be continuing British focus on convicting the bombers but she did not believe there was a need for an independent cross-Border inquiry.
