The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats yesterday welcomed the recall of the Westminster Parliament next week to consider tough antiterrorist legislation following the Omagh bombing, reports Rachel Donnelly, in London.
The Tory leader, Mr William Hague, said his party would ensure "a sympathetic and a swift" passage for the legislation through Parliament.
In television interviews yesterday, Mr Hague said the legislation being proposed would "really help make sure we don't have this problem again and to try to make sure we catch the people who are responsible for these terrible crimes".
But in a sign that the government may not have an entirely smooth ride in Parliament next week, he criticised the "weakening" of anti-terrorist laws, including the removal of internment from the statute book.
The Liberal Democrats spokesman on Northern Ireland, Lord Holme, said the recall was an indication that London and Dublin were "marching in step".