Trevor Sargent
Question:83 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the Special Working Group at the Stormont Talks which is seeking to produce a document which identifies key issues for future discussions. [23429/97]
Written Answers. - Northern Ireland Peace Process.
It was agreed at the review plenary session of the multi-party talks on 2 December that, as a means of facilitating progress, it would be valuable to establish a sub-group to seek to identify the key issues to be resolved in the negotiations and the formats in which those issues might be addressed. The sub-group reported back to the review plenary yesterday, 16 December, that it had been unable to reach agreement on these matters.
It would, of course, have been desirable for the negotiations to have made more headway by Christmas. Nevertheless, the work of the past few weeks has been valuable in establishing a substantial degree of common ground among the participants and in laying the basis for intensive negotiations on the core issues when the talks resume on 12 January. Moreover, despite the undoubted difficulties, the atmosphere continues to be positive. It is important to emphasise that all participants are committed to returning in January to work intensively at fleshing out the details of the core issues. This will be done in the three strands format already in place under the rules of procedures. The chairman of the plenary, Senator Mitchell and his fellow chairmen, Prime Minister Holkeri and General de Chastelain, who have been of invaluable assistance this far, will have a key role in facilitating the work ahead.
In light of the statement by the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister signposting a critical ten week period ahead, I believe that we are entering in January the most intensive and decisive phase of the peace process so far. It continues to be the view of the Government that, given this goodwill, imagination and hard work, it will be possible to achieve our goal of a comprehensive and balanced overall agreement by the target date of May 1998.