Sinn Féin success must spur peace process
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I welcome Tony Blair's statement that there are no preconditions to the
establishment of the Executive and that 30 June is a real deadline
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Gerry Adams
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In the course of the past week, Sinn Féin has more than doubled its
European vote in the Six Counties, showing there are quotas for two
nationalist seats in Europe, and the party has also made major gains in
local elections throughout the 26 Counties.
The party's countrywide performance marks one of the most successful
campaigns ever for Sinn Féin. The peace process and the new political
climate has without doubt changed the nature of the political chessboard.
The most striking feature of elections North and South is the fact that
Sinn Féin is a major political force on the move across the island. A
growing section of the Irish electorate has placed its trust in Sinn Féin
as a party that is set to further influence matters of national and
international importance.
That growing support, plus the backing of 70 percent of the Six-County
electorate for pro-Agreement parties, must have implications for the still
mired peace process. High-level meetings between the parties and with the
two governments are continuing in the run-up to Tony Blair's 30 June
deadline for the devolution of power, the latest of these a meeting on
Tuesday between Gerry Adams and Bertie Ahern. Adams reported afterwards
that Ahern was very focused and clear on the need to establish the
political institutions if there is to be progress.
Adams has also welcomed comments made by British Prime Minister Tony Blair
earlier this week. He particularly welcomed Blair's assertion that the Good
Friday Agreement must be returned to. ``That is the binding agreement that
we all made in April 1998,'' said Adams. ``I welcome his statement that there
are no preconditions to the establishment of the Executive and that 30 June
is a real deadline.''
He expressed the hope that Blair's comments would create a new focus to
``drive us through the next phase of negotiations towards agreement by 30
June''.
David Trimble, meanwhile, is still this week sticking to the position of no
progress on the Agreement without prior decommissioning. It is time that he
and other unionists showed real leadership. They cannot play the role of
victims forever. Trimble must very soon decide if he is the leader of the
UUP or the First Minister. To date, he has given no indication that he is
up to the challenge of the latter post and every indication that he is more
than up to the task of playing the tired old Orange card.
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