'Rossport 5' to appear in High Court this afternoon

national | rights, freedoms and repression | other press Friday September 30, 2005 12:58 by Shell Suit

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Last updated: 30-09-05, 11:21

The five Co Mayo men jailed in connection with the Corrib gas pipeline dispute are to appear in the High Court this afternoon.

This follows a fresh bid to resolve the dispute that has seen the "Rossport Five" spend over 90 days in Cloverhill Prison.

It is understood lawyers representing the men and Shell Ireland were in contact last night and this morning.

It is unclear whether Shell plans to lift its injunction, which has seen the men imprisoned for contempt of court for refusing to undertake not to block construction work on the inshore gas pipeline near their homes.

A spokesmen for Shell said the company would not be commenting prior to the court proceedings.

The men are due before Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan - the president of the High Court - at 2pm.

Minister for the Marine Noel Dempsey last night called on both sides involved in the controversy to "create the conditions" for a resolution to the dispute.

In a statement, Mr Dempsey said he had been in contact with Shell E&P Ireland and representatives of the five jailed Mayo men to inform them the Government would appoint a mediator "if both sides were willing to participate in a mediation process.

"I am now calling on both parties to create the conditions which will allow such a process to commence immediately," Mr Dempsey said. He also announced a two-day local hearing on October 12th and 13th while a safety review is being carried out on the project.

The move follows discussions at a joint Oireachtas committee and in the Dáil on the issue this week.

"I hope that these efforts can come to fruition and that they will be back with their families very, very quickly," Mr Dempsey said today.

He told RTÉ Radio he believed that Shell may be in a position to lift the injunction against the five men for blocking construction work on the inshore gas pipeline near their homes.

"My understanding is that it could be done from a purely technical legal point of view but that that might cause legal difficulties. But there has been a change and a shift over the last few days and in that context they may be able to do something," Mr Dempsey said.

A rally is being staged in Dublin tomorrow by campaign group Shell To Sea.

Shell To Sea spokesman Dr Mark Garavan said he welcomed the Minister's mediation offer but insisted the injunction must be lifted and the men freed before progress can be made.

"We regard it as a very welcome offer," he said. "But it would not be practically possible for men in prison to engage in talks.

"We are also being cautious because this is a very emotional situation for the men and their families and we want to be very careful that we don't create heightened expectations of something happening in the coming days," he said.

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