Move on policing or stay at home
BY MICHAEL PIERSE
Amid speculation that Tony Blair is to visit the Six Counties
this week to advance the ongoing negotiations, Sinn Féin
president Gerry Adams has said that unless there is movement from
the British Government on policing, the British Prime Minister
might as well stay at home.
``Thus far, even though there has been some limited progress in
recent days, there has not been enough progress to allow
nationalists and republicans and those of us who want a new
beginning to policing, to be able to embrace the type of
proposals that the British are putting together,'' the Sinn Féin
President said.
Adams added that the talks have been the most intensive he has
experienced since those immediately prior to the Belfast
Agreement, almost three years ago.
``Policing is not the only issue we are concentrating on,'' he
said, ``but it certainly has been the main focus of our
discussions. This does not mean the other matters have been
resolved. On the contrary, there is a lot of work to be done.
``No one who wants a genuine new beginning to policing could agree
to the current proposals from the British Government, because
there is no reasonable certainty that they will achieve that
objective.''
Meanwhile, a high profile recruitment campaign for Britain's
proposed new Six-County police force was axed on Tuesday, three
days prior to its official launch.
The `50/50 recruitment campaign' was set to run with a series of
TV adverts across Ireland and Britain, followed by a series of
job advertisements in newspapers. Its cancellation is expected to
cost the NIO hundreds of thousands of pounds.
RUC Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan announced on Tuesday that the
``full blooded campaign'' is being held back, ``in the hope that
support from nationalists, republicans and the Catholic church
will be forthcoming''.
However, he added that ``the delay can only be for a short
duration, given the pressures brought about by natural retirement
and the take-up of the Patten severance arrangements''.
Sinn Féin Árd Comhairle member Gerry Kelly, speaking on Tuesday -
a day after the twelfth anniversary of the killing of Belfast
solicitor Pat Finucane - said that ``young nationalists need to
know that in any new policing service there will be no more
collusion''.
Kelly, along with families who have suffered from loyalist
pipe-bomb attacks and intimidation, met with the 26-County
Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen in Dublin last week. He
said that the issue continues to be a cause of serious concern in
nationalist and republican areas.
``There is a concerted sectarian campaign across the North to
drive Catholic families out of some areas,'' said Kelly. ``They
have reached a particular intensity in North Belfast and Larne.
Over several weeks we have seen some 50 attacks - mostly carried
out by the UDA - and there is no sign of them abating. This is a
pogrom, designed to drive Catholics out, heighten tensions and
undermine the political and peace process.''
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