Irish America Wants U.S. To Take More Active Role in Irish Peace Process

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Wednesday November 15, 2006 00:03 by Jay Dooling - Irish American Unity Conference rdooling at swbell dot net

Washington, DC - Nov 14, 2006 - With less than two weeks before the British and Irish governments’ imposed November 24th deadline, Irish America demands that the United States uses its influence to encourage Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to form a government in Northern Ireland (N. Ireland) under the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).

Since signing the GFA in 1998, the unionist parties have successfully avoided governing with the nationalists by continually moving the goal posts. At first, unionist required that the IRA ceasefire be called ‘permanent’; then they demanded the exact wording of ‘the war is over’ be spoken. Next the Irish Republican Army (IRA) had to publicly destroy all their weapons, cease all operations, and come forth in ‘sackcloth & ashes’ to do penance.

The short lived assembly that did eventually take office was twice suspended by the British. The final suspension occurred because of accusations of spying against Sinn Fein. These turned out to be false and involved a British spy in the Sinn Fein party.

The IRA declared their war was over; they verifiably disposed of all their weapons; they ceased all operations except for political ones. All of this has been confirmed by a body called the Independent Monitoring Commission setup by the British government.

Now after intensive negotiations by all parties in Scotland, the Irish and British governments put forward the SAA. The SAA maps the way back to a devolved, democratic government with a requirement that all parties agree by November 24, 2006 to restart of Northern Irish assembly by March of 2007.

The DUP balks at the SAA unless Sinn Fein will agree to their exact wording of the pledge of office taken by all parties. Then the DUP moves the goal posts again by requiring Sinn Fein to support the Policing Service of N.Ireland (PSNI), but demands that they have no authority to participate in the governing of the PSNI.

Sinn Fein has accepted the SAA but they are requiring that the British, who currently run the PSNI, disclose their intentions of returning control of policing to the northern Irish assembly.

The British and Irish governments are standing firm on the requirement for the political parties to commit to reforming an assembly by November 24th. Both governments further state that a return to regional democracy in the area would be years away if the current deadlines are missed.

The U.S. through the direct influence of our State Department and Mitchell Reiss, the President’s special envoy to N. Ireland, must encourage the DUP to agree to enter government in the duly elected Assembly.

In the light of continual disclosures of collusion between the British army, the police force and loyalist paramilitaries, which are still actively involved in violent crime and have NOT disarmed, we believe that the US government should encourage the British to disclose their plans for devolving local policing authorities to the northern Irish assembly.
# # #

Contact: Dr Robert Linnon

Irish American Unity Conference
National Office
611 Pennsylvania Ave, SE #4150
Washington, D.C. 20003
800-947-4282

http://www.iauc.org/
Email: iauc@iauc.org

National Press Officer: Jay Dooling
Email: rdooling@swbell.net

"Working for Justice and Peace in a Re-united Ireland"
The IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE is a nationwide,
nonpartisan, nonsectarian, chapter-based human rights
organization working for justice and peace in Ireland. We
are a wholly American 501(c)(4) organization that advocates
the end of British colonial occupation and the peaceful
reunification of Ireland. We endeavor to achieve these
goals by working through the American democratic process.
Individually, our members represent every occupational and
educational stratum in the United States.
Since signing the GFA in 1998, the unionist parties have
successfully avoided governing with the nationalists by
continually moving the goal posts. At first, unionist
required that the IRA ceasefire be called ‘permanent’; then
they demanded the exact wording of ‘the war is over’ be
spoken. Next the Irish Republican Army (IRA) had to
publicly destroy all their weapons, cease all operations,
and come forth in ‘sackcloth & ashes’ to do penance.

The short lived assembly that did eventually take office
was twice suspended by the British. The final suspension
occurred because of accusations of spying against Sinn
Fein. These turned out to be false and involved a British
spy in the Sinn Fein party.

The IRA declared their war was over; they verifiably
disposed of all their weapons; they ceased all operations
except for political ones. All of this has been confirmed
by a body called the Independent Monitoring Commission set
up by the British government.

Now after intensive negotiations by all parties in
Scotland, the Irish and British governments put forward the
SAA. The SAA maps the way back to a devolved, democratic
government with a requirement that all parties agree by
November 24, 2006 to restart of Northern Irish assembly by
March of 2007.

The DUP balks at the SAA unless Sinn Fein will agree to
their exact wording of the pledge of office taken by all
parties. Then the DUP moves the goal posts again by
requiring Sinn Fein to support the Policing Service of N.
Ireland (PSNI), but demands that they have no authority to
participate in the governing of the PSNI.

Sinn Fein has accepted the SAA but they are requiring that
the British, who currently run the PSNI, disclose their
intentions of returning control of policing to the northern
Irish assembly.

The British and Irish governments are standing firm on the
requirement for the political parties to commit to
reforming an assembly by November 24th. Both governments
further state that a return to regional democracy in the
area would be years away if the current deadlines are
missed.

The U.S. through the direct influence of our State
Department and Mitchell Reiss, the President’s special
envoy to N. Ireland, must encourage the DUP to agree to
enter government in the duly elected Assembly.

In the light of continual disclosures of collusion
between the British army, the police force and
loyalist paramilitaries, which are still actively involved
in violent crime and have NOT disarmed, we believe that
the US government should encourage the British
to disclose their plans for devolving local policing
authorities to the northern Irish assembly.
# # #

Contact: Dr Robert Linnon

Irish American Unity Conference
National Office
611 Pennsylvania Ave, SE #4150
Washington, D.C. 20003
800-947-4282

http://www.iauc.org/
Email: iauc@iauc.org

National Press Officer: Jay Dooling
Email: rdooling@swbell.net

"Working for Justice and Peace in a Re-united Ireland" The IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE is a nationwide, nonpartisan, nonsectarian, chapter-based human rights organization working for justice and peace in Ireland. We are a wholly American 501(c)(4) organization that advocates the end of British colonial occupation and the peaceful reunification of Ireland. We endeavor to achieve these goals by working through the American democratic process. Individually, our members represent every occupational and educational stratum in the United States.