Text of governments' document
The following document, prefaced by a joint letter from Irish
Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen and British Secretary of
State John Reid was jointly released by the London and Dublin
governments in Belfast on Wednesday, 1 August, addressed to each
of the party leaders.
Dear Party Leader,
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT
1. Following the intensive discussions at Weston Park three weeks
ago, the two Governments have now agreed the elements of a
package which, we believe, will help deliver the full and early
implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
2. The package covers all four outstanding issues - policing,
normalisation, the stability of the institutions and
decommissioning. The two Governments believe that it represents
a fair, balanced and justified package of proposals.
3. We are today putting to all the parties who were at Weston
Park our proposals on those four areas, including a draft
statement which the parties would issue, in the event that the
overall package was acceptable.
4. As we said at Weston Park, while each of the issues -
policing, decommissioning, normalisation and the stability of the
institutions - is best addressed in its own terms rather than
being seen as a pre-condition for progress on any other, the
Agreement can only succeed if all parts of it are implemented
together. In this context, these proposals set out the steps we
would take as part of a package to secure the full implementation
of the Agreement.
5. We now invite the parties to respond to these proposals by 6
August.
JOHN REID BRIAN COWEN
PROPOSALS BY THE TWO GOVERNMENTS
1. The British and Irish Governments have been working with
the parties to achieve the full implementation of the Agreement
reached on Good Friday 1998, which was endorsed in referendums by
the people of the island of Ireland, North and South.
2. Much progress has been made. Constitutional changes to
reflect fully the principles of consent and self-determination,
including the amendment of Articles 2 and 3 in the Irish
Constitution and of British constitutional legislation, have been
brought into effect.
3. Devolved institutions in Northern Ireland have brought
power and accountability closer to its people, and have
demonstrated that the parties can work together effectively in
the common interest. New North/South and British-Irish
institutions have been created, and have begun to work for the
benefit of all the people of these islands.
4. New safeguards for human rights have been introduced,
North and South. Progress has been made in Northern Ireland on
the equality agenda, on the normalisation of security and in
pursuit of major reviews of policing and the criminal justice
system. The Agreement's provisions on the accelerated release of
prisoners have been largely implemented.
5. Difficulties remain, and we have striven to overcome them
with the parties. As we undertook to do on 14 July at the end of
our discussions at Weston Park, the British and Irish Governments
now set out the steps we would take to secure the full
implementation of the Agreement, recognising its complete
implementation in many areas will not be easy or quick but will
require a continuing and collective process of implementation.
6. As we said at Weston Park:
``The outstanding issues relate to policing, the stability of the
institutions, security normalisation and decommissioning. While
each of these issues is best addressed in its own terms, rather
than being seen as a precondition for progress on any other, the
Agreement can only succeed if all parts of it are implemented
together.''
Proposals on decommissioning
7. In respect of the issue of putting arms beyond use, the two
Governments repeat their view that this is an indispensable part
of implementing the Good Friday Agreement. All parties to the
Agreement recognise that; and that, under the Agreement, this
issue must be resolved in a manner acceptable to and verified by
the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning in
accordance with its basic mandate in law.
Proposals on policing
8. Both Governments remain committed to a new beginning in
policing on the basis set out in the Good Friday Agreement. The
British Government reaffirms its determination to bring about
such a new beginning by implementing the Patten Report.
9. The British Government will publish a revised
Implementation Plan. This will set out in greater detail the
plans for implementing, among other matters, Patten's
recommendations on the Full Time Reserve, the Part Time Reserve,
the closure of Gough holding centre and the future structure of
Special Branch. It will also set out the intention to avoid the
use of Plastic Baton Rounds, except where there is a serious risk
of loss of life or serious injury, while Patten's recommendation
for a major research programme on alternatives is completed.
10. The Oversight Commissioner is responsible for overseeing the
implementation of the changes recommended in the Patten Report.
These are momentous and wide-ranging: it is important to be
confident that they are delivering the new beginning intended in
the Good Friday Agreement. So, in addition, the British
Government will ask the Oversight Commissioner to review the new
arrangements in the light of experience. The review will start
in March 2002. It will be conducted on the basis of experience
during the first year of the Board's operation and report by
October 2002. Legislation will be introduced as soon as
practicable thereafter to amend or clarify some provisions to
reflect more fully the Patten recommendations. These amendments
will be set out in detail in the revised Implementation Plan.
11. On this basis, the British Government will invite the
parties to nominate political members to the new Policing Board
and complete the process for selection of independent members, so
that the Board will be established by the end of September.
12. The British Government is also establishing the Police
Fund, which will assist families of officers killed by terrorist
action, and the RUC GC Foundation, which will mark the sacrifices
and honour the achievements of the RUC.
13. The British Government will shortly publish a full
Implementation Plan for the Criminal Justice Review, together
with draft legislation, with a view to passing the necessary Bill
in the current session of Parliament.
Proposals on normalisation
14. As indicated in the two Governments' statement of 5 May
2000, the British Government will progressively take all the
necessary steps to secure as early a return as possible to normal
security arrangements in Northern Ireland. These steps depend on
the continuing implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and
the Chief Constable's assessment of the threat at the time.
Provided the threat is reduced, the British Government will carry
out a progressive rolling programme reducing levels of troops and
installations in Northern Ireland. Ultimately the normal state
would mean the vacation, return or demolition of the great
majority of army bases, the demolition and vacation of all
surveillance towers, no further army presence in police stations
and the use of Army helicopters for training purposes only.
15. In the event of a significant reduction in the level of
threat as a result of this package being implemented, the Chief
Constable will announce the following normalisation measures, to
be taken as soon as logistically possible:
* demolition of the super-sangar at Newtownhamilton Police
Station adjacent to the helicopter landing site;
* demolition of Magherafelt Army base;
* demolition of the observation tower on Sturgan Mountain;
* demolition of one of the observation towers on Camlough
Mountain.
16. The Irish Government confirm that the Garda Siochána will
work in the closest co-operation with the new police service and
will join with them in taking all necessary measures to counter
any remaining terrorist threat and to enable the normalisation of
security arrangements.
17. In order to help create greater consensus on the parades
issue and a less contentious environment in which the new police
service will operate, the British Government will review the
operation of the Parades Commission and the legislation under
which it was established. The Government believes the Parades
Commission has had four successful years of operation against a
difficult background. But this review, which will take place in
consultation with the parties and others with an interest
including the Irish Government, will consider whether there are
any changes which could promote further public confidence on all
sides, respect for the rights of all and the peaceful resolution
of disputes on parades. Any legislative changes would take
effect after summer 2002.
18. Both Governments want the new policing arrangements now
being established to focus on the future. But they also accept
that certain cases from the past remain a source of grave public
concern, particularly those giving rise to serious allegations of
collusion by the security forces in each of our jurisdictions.
Both Governments will therefore appoint a judge of international
standing from outside both jurisdictions to undertake a thorough
investigation of allegations of collusion in the cases, of the
murders of Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent
Bob Buchanan, Pat Finucane, Lord Justice and Lady Gibson, Robert
Hamill, Rosemary Nelson and Billy Wright.
19. The investigation of each individual case will begin no
later than April 2002 unless this is clearly prejudicial to a
forthcoming prosecution at that time. Detailed terms of
reference will be published but the appointed judge will be asked
to review all the papers, interview anyone who can help,
establish the facts and report with recommendations for any
further action. Arrangements will be made to hear the views of
the victims' families and keep them informed of progress. If the
appointed judge considers that in any case this has not provided
a sufficient basis on which to establish the facts, he or she can
report to this effect with recommendations as to what further
action should be taken. In the event that a Public Inquiry is
recommended in any case, the relevant Government will implement
that recommendation.
20. Both Governments also recognise that there is an issue to
be addressed, with the completion of the early release scheme,
about supporters of organisations now on cease-fire against whom
there are outstanding prosecutions, and in some cases extradition
proceedings, for offences committed before 10 April 1998. Such
people would, if convicted, stand to benefit from the early
release scheme. The Governments accept that it would be a
natural development of the scheme for such prosecutions not to be
pursued and will as soon as possible, and in any event before the
end of the year, take such steps as are necessary in their
jurisdictions to resolve this difficulty so that those concerned
are no longer pursued.
21. Both Governments reaffirm that the full implementation of
the Good Friday Agreement is a collective responsibility and can
only be achieved in co-operation with the parties in Northern
Ireland. They will invite those parties committed to securing
the full implementation of the Agreement to join both Governments
in an Implementation Group.
22. This Group will meet regularly to review implementation
of the commitments made. The Group could meet in a variety of
formats but there will be a meeting at least every six months
involving the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and representatives of the
various parties.
DRAFT ALL-PARTY STATEMENT ON THE INSTITUTIONS
In the context of all these steps that are now being taken to
implement the Agreement in all its aspects, the parties reaffirm
their commitment to the full and stable operation of the
institutions, which are the democratic core of the Agreement.
They recall that they pledged that they would, in good faith,
work to ensure the success of each and every one of the
arrangements to be established under the Agreement. They recall
also that the balanced constitutional changes brought about by
the Agreement were implemented on the basis that they accepted in
the Agreement that all of the institutional and constitutional
arrangements - an Assembly in Northern Ireland, a North/South
Ministerial Council, implementation bodies, a British-Irish
Council and a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and any
amendments to British Acts of Parliament and the Constitution of
Ireland - were interlocking and interdependent. Accordingly,
each party, reaffirming the Pledge of Office in all its respects,
undertakes to play its full part in these institutions and to
enable the other parties to play their rightful parts also.
They look forward to renewed programmes of work and meetings in
both the NSMC and BIC, in accordance with the Agreement, with
Ministers participating fully in all meetings relevant to their
responsibilities. In particular, early dates for outstanding
meetings of the North/South Ministerial Council in plenary format
and in sectoral format on education and health and food safety
will be agreed within one month.
The parties confirm that, to enable planning and preparation to
proceed, meetings and Ministerial attendance will, as far as
possible and consistently with the duties and role of the First
and Deputy First Minister, as outlined in the Agreement, to
co-ordinate the response of the Northern Ireland administration
to external relationships, be agreed six months in advance. In
accordance with the Agreement, at sectoral meetings the
Executive's representation will include the appropriate Minister
able to take decisions in the Council on the relevant sector.
Where the holder of a relevant post will not participate normally
in the Council, the First and Deputy First Minister will be able
to make alternative arrangements.
Should difficulties arise with the above arrangements, they will
be dealt with in accordance with the review provisions of the
Agreement.