Issue 210, Saoirse : Irish Freedom (October, 2004)

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%*   IRISH FREEDOM
THE VOICE OF THE REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT
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THE Leeds Castle talks between the London
and Dublin administrations and the Six-
County parties who are willing to recognise
and work British institutions in Ireland ended
in failure after follow-on negotiations in
Stormont Castle came to nothing during
September.
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It is instructive to look at
what was put on the table at
the negotiations and, in particular, to contrast the positions of Ian Paisley's
Democratic Unionist Party
and the Provisionals led by
Gerry Adams.
The Provisionals made it
clear to the two administrations at the talks that they
would agree to another act
of arms surrender immediately and that they would
surrender all their remaining weaponry by Christmas.
This in effect meant the dis-
bandment of the organisation as a military body. Both
London and Dublin were
clear that the that the
Provisionals were going to
do  all  this  and retire to
become an 'old comrades
society'.
In the event of a deal
being secured on the structures in Stormont the
Provisionals were also quite
prepared to yield on the
question of policing. They
would join the policing
board and urge their members to join and support the
British police force in the
Six Counties.
The DUP, however, still
said that decisions in
Stormont would have to be
made by Stormont majorities and that ministers there
would be under the control
of Stormont, as would
cross-border bodies.
These demands amount
to changing the Stormont
• D UP deputy leader Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds unionist demands were supported by the London and Dublin
administrations while the Provos capitulated.
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Agreement. Anybody who
thinks this would be unacceptable to London and
Dublin should look back at
the record ofthe two administrations since the 2003
elections. Indeed, Bertie
Ahern was quick to put his
own 'spin' on matters by
claiming none of these
changes were "fundamental".
Over the past year the
British government, fully
backed by the Dublin
administration,  have  sup
ported unionist demands:
• by insisting that the
surrender of arms would be
filmed ("transparent");
• by urging the
Provisionals' military body
to disband before Stormont
could be resurrected;
• by the creation of the
'Independent Monitoring
Commission' consisting of
British intelligence personnel who will decide if the
Provisionals' military
organisation has disbanded.
None of the above are
mentioned in the Stormont
Agreement and the truth is
the British have been adding
on pieces to the agreement
as they go along, with the
acquiescence of the Dublin
administration.
It is ironic that the SDLP
is now taking a stronger line
than the Provos on these
matters and questions like
the recent decision British
decision to hold an
"inquiry" into the assassination of Belfast solicitor, Pat
Finucane.
For Republicans and
others who are prepared to
see this capitulation in its
true light, no matter how
much the Provisionals try to
deny it, their former catch-
cries of 'no unionist veto',
'no return to Stormont' and
'not one bullet, not one
ounce' spring to mind.
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