Adams in plea for freedom of Colombia Three

GERRY Adams, the Sinn Fein president, last night called for the release of three Irishmen imprisoned by Colombian authorities after a meeting with senior Cuban government officials.

The West Belfast MP, who met Jose R Dalaguer Cabrera - one of President Fidel Castro’s closest aides in the Communist Party in Havana - confirmed that he had raised the issue of the arrests in Colombia in August of Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley.

The three men were arrested by the Colombian authorities for travelling on false passports and training members of the left-wing FARC militia.

It later emerged that Mr Connolly had been acting as Sinn Fein’s representative in Cuba.

Mr Adams said: "We raised, I raised, the issue of the three Irishmen in prison in Colombia, and our view that they should be released."

He said that the Cubans did not make any statement on the arrests of the men.

"It wasn’t really a matter for them speaking out. It was me raising the issue, as I have in support of the prisoners’ families."

The arrest of the three men had threatened to overshadow the Sinn Fein leader’s visit, placing republicans under pressure to explain what they were doing in Colombia.

Sinn Fein and the IRA came under pressure over the arrests, with allies in the United States demanding an explanation.

A campaign in support of the three men has since been launched in Ireland, attracting the support of former Beirut hostage Brian Keenan, Irish folksinger Christy Moore and several politicians including Irish Green Party MEP, Patricia McKenna.

Supporters of the three men, known as the "Colombia Three" have accused the South American country of holding the prisoners in inhumane conditions, violating basic human rights and contravening international law.

They have also condemned "adverse and inaccurate" press coverage of the three men’s arrests, arguing that it had undermined the trio’s right to a fair trial.

The Sinn Fein leader also revealed that his discussion dealt with the problems in the Irish peace process.

He said he had specifically raised "the problems around the corruption of policing" in Northern Ireland as well as stressing the need for equality right throughout society.

The issue of the United States trade embargo on Cuba was also raised.

The Sinn Fein president, who has been accompanied on the visit by North Belfast Assembly member Gerry Kelly, laid a wreath in memorial to the 19th century Cuban revolutionary hero and poet Jose Marti.

Mr Adams is due to unveil a memorial today to the Republican hunger strikers who died in 1981.

A meeting has also been planned with President Fidel Castro. However details have not yet been released about when they will hold their talks.

The Sinn Fein leader has also planned a tour of a paediatric hospital, will visit a social workers training college in Cojimar and is also due to be given a tour of Havana before his departure tomorrow.