Sinn Féin enter talks
`The business of peace is the business of justice'
by Laura Friel
Sinn Féin's entry into the Stormont talks was described as ``a
defining moment in history'', by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams
as he led an eight-strong team into Belfast's Castle Buildings
last Tuesday 9 September. Arriving at Stormont shortly after
11am, Adams told the waiting media that Sinn Fein wanted to see
all parties engaged in the talks process and urged the British
government ``to move forward into substantive discussions on all
core issues''.
``We especially want to see the Unionists joining with the rest of
us in working out a future based on justice and lasting peace,''
said Adams. Inside Castle Buildings, Sinn Féin took their places
at the negotiating table. Senator Mitchell and representatives
from the British and Dublin government were present together with
members of the SDLP, Alliance and Women's Coalition but all five
unionist parties stayed away.
There were no papers signed or formal words as Gerry Adams, on
behalf of Sinn Féin, affirmed the Mitchell Principles. In doing
so, Adams was reiterating Sinn Féin's position, announced over a
year ago, that the party would affirm the Principles within the
context of meaningful negotiations and on the same basis as all
other participants,. ``I am very pleased and welcome the
opportunity to affirm these principles on behalf of Sinn Féin,''
said Adams. Drawing attention to Sinn Féin's submission to the
International Body on Decommissioning, published January 1996,
Adams pointed out that ``Sinn Féin's attitude goes much further
than the Mitchell Principles''.
``Unfortunately the British government narrowed the brief of the
Mitchell International Body, imposing a sectional and selective
view of the arms issue. We want a total demilitarisation of the
situation,'' Adams said. Sinn Féin would ``look to the two
governments'' to ensure that the decommissioning issue ``would not
be a block here or in the negotiations.''
Reminding the British that Sinn Fein was ``here on the basis of
our electoral mandate to put forward our Irish Republican
analysis'', Adams admonished the London government, citing
``serious breaches'' by those who signed up to the Principles last
June. Those breaches included; the violence of the British army
and the RUC inflicted on small nationalist communities,
particularly on the Garvaghy Road; the firing of thousands of
plastic bullets; flagrant and repeated breaches of the loyalist
ceasefires and threats of violence by the unionist leadership,
particularly around the marching issue.
The Sinn Fein President went on to highlight the role of British
Military Intelligence in the conflict, arming and organising
loyalist death squads through their agent Brian Nelson. Citing
West Belfast as an example, Adams said nationalists had not seen
any lessening of British forces patrolling their streets. ``We
were under surveillance from a helicopter this morning as we
prepared to come here. The business of peace is the business of
justice,'' he said.
Describing the talks process as ``a challenge, a testing process
for us all'', Adams continued: ``I am disappointed that there are
some empty chairs. I hope the Unionist leaders can be here as
soon as possible and we can find a way to get agreement that
reflects the diversity of all our people. I would like the
process to be transparent. I would like all the people of this
island to take possession of it. They have a vested interest in a
lasting peace and the issues involved are too important to be
left to the people in this room. If we can find a way to get a
process which is organic, which is dynamic we can move forward.''