Vol. 478 No. 6
31 Mr. Callely asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether the Government has failed to fulfil commitment No. 8 in the document, A Government of Renewal; and his views on whether the Northern conflict has deteriorated over the past two years. [11706/97]
The commitments made in respect of Northern Ireland in A Government of Renewal should be read in their totality, and the Government has in all respects sought, and continues to seek, to fulfil them to the greatest extent possible, while recognising that on most of the broader issues progress can be made only in partnership with the British Government and, as appropriate, with the Northern Ireland political parties.
In so far as paragraph 8 of that document is concerned, the Government has indeed given priority to the consolidation of progress towards peace and reconciliation in Ireland. We have worked openly, and continue to work openly in the multi-party negotiations and elsewhere, with every political party which has demonstrated a commitment to the process. The conditions on which we will resume dialogue with Sinn Fein have been made clear on many occasions. Furthermore, the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation was enabled to complete the great bulk of its important work, both at political and at expert level. All commissioned studies have been published, and the failure to record final agreement on a statement of political principles and realities was not the fault of the Government or, indeed, of the great majority of the parties attending the forum.
