What the papers say

Journalist Keith Baker takes a look at what is making the headlines in Monday's morning newspapers.

The Omagh bombing is at the heart of a couple of stories in the Irish News on Monday.

The paper claims that "the Northern Ireland Office has agreed a compensation deal with a former Army agent to prevent him from publicly revealing the identity of a top IRA mole".

The paper says the deal has been made with the man who tipped off the police before the attack on Omagh that a bomb was being made in the Republic of Ireland.

According to the report, "he has been threatening to blow the cover of another agent, someone who has been at the heart of the IRA for the past 30 years".

We are well down the prime minister's agenda these days and we need devolution back as quickly as possible

News Letter

Meanwhile, the paper also reveals that the man who wrote the official report that was highly critical of police handling of the Omagh bombing is to leave Northern Ireland.

Martin Bridger, who was Director of Investigations in the Police Ombudsman's office, is going back to London.

A statement on behalf of the Ombudsman says: "We are very grateful for all that he did for us".

On the political front, the News Letter looks ahead to David Trimble's meeting with Tony Blair in London on Tuesday.

The paper says he is "sticking by his demand that Sinn Fein should be excluded from the Northern Ireland Executive".

'Dynamics'

His party will not consider going back into government with them until the IRA have decommissioned and given a clear commitment to disband.

In its Morning View column, the paper notes that "we are at the time of year known as Epiphany, a word meaning a sudden revelation or understanding.

"But no such thoughtfulness will enter into our political consciousness in the near future," it says.

"This is an election year," the paper reminds us, "and the probability, as usual, is that our election will be decided on the basis of the Super-Prod, Super-Taig dynamics," which it says "are built into our institutions."

The paper says: "We are well down the prime minister's agenda these days and we need devolution back as quickly as possible".

Bertie Ahern would seem to agree.

The Irish Times has an account of an interview he gave on Sunday.

'Triumphantly successful'

He notes that we are heading towards the fifth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

And he says there should be "total engagement to try to find a resolution that will get the institutions working fully again".

In the cross-channel papers, there are many tributes to the late Lord Jenkins.

The Guardian calls him "one of the great nearly men of 20th century politics".

And the Express says "he was the greatest prime minister who never was".

The Independent carries the thoughts of his former colleague Denis Healey who says he could never have become leader of the Labour Party.

"His judgement wasn't as sharp as his intellect," he says.

The Daily Telegraph describes him as "the grandfather of New Labour" and "a father figure to Tony Blair".

It also has a tribute from his friend, the novelist Robert Harris, who enjoyed many a good lunch with him.

Harris says one of Lord Jenkins' aims in life was never to pass a lunchtime alone and in this, as in much else, he was triumphantly successful.