Republican News · Thursday 11 October 2001

US Foreign Policy Committee backs process

The National Committee on American Foreign Policy has urged those who have leadership responsibility to "show the imagination and courage it will take" to bring the Peace Process quickly to a successful conclusion.

In a statement issued on Tuesday 2 October, the committee recommends, "in the strongest possible terms", that the people of the Six Counties reject all arguments and political manoeuvering designed to destroy the Agreement and the institutuions of government established under it. "The Agreement and the governing structures it established provide a solid base for a lasting peace. We urge that these not now be thrown into the dustbin of history," the committee said.

It also callled on loyalist groups to, "as have republicans, fully engage on an accelerated basis with the IICD" and that "all paramilitary groupd take immediate steps to commence the decommissioning process". It added that the British government should "present a comprehensive plan for the demilitarisation of the North of Ireland and take immediate steps to commence implementation".

The committee concluded by urging both governments to "take the strongesrt possible steps" to support the governmental structures establiahed under the Agreement and that, "should all else fail, that they fulfill their responsibility to jointly govern the remaining implemantation of the Belfast Agreement, thereby preventing any individual or group from interfering with the will of the people as declared in the 1998 referendum".