Vol. 478 No. 5
11 Mr. Callely asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the main precondition to Northern all-party talks for peace which created the most difficulties during the course of the cease-fire; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11394/97]
During the period of the IRA ceasefire, the principal obstacle to the launch of inclusive negotiations, at which all parties with a democratic mandate would be present, was, in my view, the existence of a profound lack of trust between many of the prospective participants. This mistrust came to be focused on the issue of the decommissioning of illegally-held weapons. While there were, no doubt, errors of judgment on all sides during the period, and while some may well have used the arms question for tactical purposes, nevertheless, as the report of the International Body stated, decommissioning, while a serious issue, was also "a symptom of a larger problem: the absence of trust". Moreover, as the body also said, each side of the argument on decommissioning reflected "a core of reasonable concern which deserves to be understood and addressed by the other side." Both Governments are in agreement that the implementation of the International Body's report in all its aspects offers the only practicable basis for the satisfactory resolution of the decommissioning issue, in the context of a meaningful and serious process of negotiations.
This Government has consistently worked for the achievement through inclusive negotiations of a comprehensive and balanced settlement, and for the complete decommissioning of all illegally held weapons. When the negotiations resume on 3 June we will continue to pursue those goals.
