Police comb airport for more mortars: Major and Reynolds vow that men of violence will not hamper peace process

THE BRITISH and Irish prime ministers promised to continue their Northern Ireland peace initiative last night as police mounted a huge search for more IRA mortars around Heathrow airport.

A statement from John Major and Albert Reynolds, issued after the second mortar attack on the airport within 36 hours, pledged that the 'men of violence' would not divert the two governments from the peace process: 'We shall continue with reinforced vigour and determination our efforts to make peaceful political progress in consultation with constitutional political parties.'

Several hundred police took part in a search around the airport perimeter. Senior anti-terrorist officers believe the second device, which fired four bombs on to an aircraft parking area near Terminal 4, may have been placed at the same time as that used in the first attack on Wednesday.

Detectives were last night trying to trace anyone who sold Exide Hi- Power 991 Dry batteries to the terrorists.

The second attack came soon after midnight yesterday. A few hours earlier, Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, had said the IRA could stage more 'spectaculars'. He insisted yesterday that republicans remained committed to a peace process, in spite of the Heathrow attacks and the killing of a police officer in Belfast.

Police suspect that even more mortars could have been deployed by the IRA unit that placed the first weapon. Commander David Tucker, head of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch, said the search area was littered with car parks containing thousands of cars.

Police yesterday liaised with the Army over securing the airport but refused to comment on whether there would be military involvement in security arrangements.

Yesterday's bombs fell within 40 yards of an empty British Airways 767 jet. Seven non-specific warnings, six including an IRA code, were received between 5.28pm and 8.45pm.

Commander Tucker said: 'The cynical use of coded warnings has been with us for some time. We can't allow the airport to be closed down by a terrorist whose weapon is a telephone. If they had wanted us to find these mortars they would have been more specific.'

Two couples whose photographs were published yesterday in connection with firebomb attacks on stores in the West End of London have been traced and eliminated from the inquiry, Scotland Yard said last night.

War and peace, page 2