Written Answers. - Northern Ireland Peace Process.
Ivor Callely
Ceist:
47
Mr. Callely
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs
his understanding of the considerations by the IRA in respect of the political situation currently prevailing in Northern Ireland and the lack of real progress on the peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[23963/96]
Trevor Sargent
Ceist:
62
Mr. Sargent
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs
if he will give details of the specific recommendations made by the Government regarding appropriate confidence-building measures currently available to the British Government which might help to bring forward the re-instatement of the IRA ceasefire.
[21728/96]
Ivor Callely
Ceist:
66
Mr. Callely
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs
his views on whether the peace process is making real progress and that the deteriorating situation in Northern Ireland is of serious consequence; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24036/96]
Ivor Callely
Ceist:
68
Mr. Callely
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs
the issues, if any, which have been drawn to his attention which are a source of concern to Sinn Féin regarding the current position in relation to achieving a comprehensive political settlement in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24038/96]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 47, 62, 66 and 68 together.
As set out in the Government statement of 28 November, we remain fully committed to an inclusive negotiating process, on exclusively democratic terms and in conditions of peace, so as to reach an honourable and generally accepted accommodation of the Northern Ireland conflict.
As the Taoiseach and I have made clear on many occasions, responsibility for the unequivocal restoration of the IRA ceasefire rest with the IRA itself. There exists no justification, moral or political, for its campaign of violence.
The conditions for Sinn Féin's entry to the political talks currently under way in Belfast were carefully set out by both Governments in the Communiqué of 28 February 1996 and in the ground rules, and have been reiterated on many occasions, as I pointed out to Deputy Callely in my reply to his Question No. 36 of yesterday. In our contacts with the British Government, including at Monday's Anglo-Irish summit, and in our discussions with other participants in the peace process, we have made clear that we believe Sinn Féin should be included in the talks once the conditions set out in the ground rules are met, and that we are anxious to see that objective achieved as soon as possible. That is a strong argument for the earliest possible reinstatement of the IRA ceasefire which, as I have said, should never have been broken.
Sinn Féin has put forward its views on this and other issues on many occasions. There is undoubtedly a lack of trust on all sides at present, and this is one of the main reasons progress in the political talks, as in the peace process generally, has been disappointingly slow. As I indicated to Deputy Callely in yesterday's reply, the position of the two Governments on the issue of decommissioning is based firmly on the implementation of the report of the International Body, in all its aspects, and we are continuing to work to persuade all other participants to take the same approach.
In regard to confidence issues, including the deployment of the security forces, policing, parades, emergency legislation and the situation of prisoners, as well as social and economic issues, the Government continue to make use of the machinery established under the Anglo-Irish Agreement to advance our views, and the most recent meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference, on 20 November, allowed for discussion of many matters of concern. In our view, these issues should be seen as relevant primarily to the development of an overall sense of trust and confidence in Northern Ireland, and in that regard are capable of having a positive impact on the political situation. We were pleased to note the British Prime Minister's assurance, in his statement of 28 November, that his Government is "committed to raising confidence, both through the talks and through a range of other measures alongside them". As the Prime Minister correctly pointed out, a process of mutual confidence-building is proposed by the report of the International Body. We also noted his observations that "if the threat reduces again, the opportunity for further confidence-building measures returns".
