Irish Republican News and Information, http://irlnet.com/rmlist/, October 13, 2002
Flash: Institutions to be suspended from midnight Monday
British Secretary of State John Reid has tonight confirmed his
intention to suspend the Belfast Assembly.
Dr Reid contacted Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams this evening to
tell him he was going to suspend the North of Ireland's political
institutions tomorrow morning at 10am.
It is believed that Reid has contact the leaders of the North's
other political party leaders to convey the news.
The suspension is to come into effect at midnight on Monday.
Direct rule over the North of Ireland is thereafter claimed by
the Westminster parliament in London.
It is understood British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will issue a joint statement around midday
tomorrow, affirming their determination to uphold the 1998 Good
Friday Agreement, under which power was devolved to the Belfast
Assembly at Stormont.
Dr Reid told Mr Adams that while the institutions were suspended,
the election date of May 1 was not.
"He asserted that the two governments were going to implement the
outstanding aspects of the Agreement," a Sinn Fein spokesperson
said tonight.
"However, Mr Adams remains sceptical about Dr Reid's commitments
on these matters.
"Given Dr tactical management of the Agreement thus far, there is
a big onus on Mr Blair and Mr Ahern to fill the gap which is
obviously being opened up by the unionist exodus from the
institutions."
Despite some speculation, there appears to be no plans to set up
a "shadow administration" involving the First and Deputy First
Ministers. Instead, there will be an increased role for the
British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, set up by the
Agreement to deal with non-devolved issues.
TRIMBLE'S RESIGNATION CALL
Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble called on the two Sinn Fein
ministers to resign from the Executive over what he alleged was
the failure of the IRA to commit to peace by disbanding.
"If [Sinn Fein's Minister of Education] Martin McGuinness were a
man of integrity he would resign, and there would be then no
suspension. If Mr McGuinness wants politics to go on ... then let
him do the decent thing before that."
He accused the IRA of organising a "massive spying ring"
following the high-profile raid by the RUC/PSNI police on Sinn
Fein's offices at the Belfast Assembly last week, and the arrest
of the party's office administrator, Denis Donaldson.
The raid has since been exposed as a political charade, and drew
an apology from the PSNI Chief Constable, Hugh Orde. Mr Donaldson,
however, remains in custody. Three others have been accused of
spying on the British government and are also being held on
remand.
AHERN WARNS AGAINST VACUUM
Earlier today, Bertie Ahern warned of the dangers of "vacuums and
tensions" emerging if the political institutions are suspended
for too long.
He said that his government would work closely with Mr Blair to
resolve the outstanding issues.
"Clearly the fact that violence still exists, and clearly the
fact that there is still not a full move away from the past, from
the activities of the past, into total democratic means, that is
creating tensions, it is breaking trust," he said.
"We have to try to deal with that problem, along with a lot of
the other outstanding problems ... there is demilitarisation,
there is the whole issue of paramilitary activities. There is the
sectarianism that is in northern society,"
He highlighted the role of the British and Irish governments as
"guardians" of the Good Friday agreement and said suspension was
inevitable.
"We must now move to the new situation, and my view is that the
two governments are guardians of the the agreement. We are
determined to protect it, and we are not suspending the
agreement.
"It will be important for the two governments to work closely in
a way that reflects the principles of the agreement and protects
and develops its achievements."
Mr Ahern ruled out the reported possibility of a role in a
"shadow" position for the North's First Minister and Ulster
Unionist Party leader David Trimble and Deputy First Minister
Mark Durkan, head of the nationalist SDLP.
He declared: "Legally there is no process for doing that. If
there is a basis for keeping people informed, for keeping them in
touch, I have no difficulty.
"But from our point of view, the British-Irish Inter governmental
Conference offers a practical way of the two governments acting
together -- and that is all.
"We will also keep in touch with the other parties. We know what
the problems are and it beholds us all to find resolutions to
them."
Mr Ahern also expressed strong opposition to the idea that the
May elections to the Asembly could be postponed.
ADAMS OPPOSES SUSPENSION
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams warned tonight that
tomorrow's suspension would damage the peace process and would
not help bring about the disbandment of the IRA, as David Trimble
has demanded.
He said there were other, better, options to suspending the
institutions despite the refusal of the Ulster Unionist Party to
participate.
"It strikes me as paradoxical that the aim of getting rid of, or
disbandment of, all of the armed groups is being presented by Mr
Trimble in the way that it is, when he seeks to bring down the
very vehicle which was established to achieve that aim," Mr Adams
said.
Yesterday, he said there was "a clear and strong consensus" that
a suspension of the institutions would be "serving the agenda of
the Anti-Agreement campaign".
"Mr Trimble knows that there is no basis for his demand for the
expulsion of Sinn Fein from the Executive. Despite his
protestations to the contrary, Mr Trimble favours suspension."
Mr Adams said this was clear from the recent meeting of the
Ulster Unionist Council, the policy-making ruling council of the
Ulster Unionist Party.
Speaking to the media at Sinn Fein headquarters in Dublin during
a meeting of the party's leadership, he said Sinn Fein's Ard
Chomhairle had reiterated its commitment to the Good Friday
Agreement and endorsed the party's demand that the two
governments must drive forward the process.
"The agenda must not change. The agenda is the Good Friday
Agreement," Mr Adams said.
He was also dismissive of the suggestions for the future of the
North's government by Mr Trimble in recent days.
"Mr Trimble's attack on the proposition that the two governments
must step in to ensure that those important aspects of the
Agreement that can be implemented are implemented, is ludicrous.
He knows that the unionist exodus from the institutions leave no
other option.
"His suggestion that he could remain in some shadow position as
First Minister is equally ludicrous. If Mr. Trimble wants to
remain in any capacity he should not walk away from the
institutions. If he does walk away then he can expect no special
dispensation for himself.
"Sinn Fein will continue to fulfil our obligations, defend the
rights and entitlements of our electorate and pursue the full
implementation of the Good Friday Agreement."
Mr Adams has remained in contact with both the Taoiseach and with
Downing Street in advance of tomorrow's announcement, a Sinn Fein
spokesperson said, adding: "The party leadership is not taking
these recent developments lying down. There is a real anger about
the raid at Stormont and the arrest and continued detention of
[party administrator] Denis Donaldson.
"The unionists have seized upon these events but they need to
know that there is no escape from the Good Friday Agreement for
anyone, whether in government or in any political party. Despite
all the difficulties that will eventually dawn upon the
rejectionists."
NEW VICTIM OF LOYALIST FEUD
* In other news, a 22-year-old man became the third victim of a
bloody feud between loyalist paramilitaries tonight.
Alexander McKinley, who was shot in the head in east Belfast last
Monday, died in hospital today. He was the victim of the feud
between the largest loyalist paramilitary group the UDA and the
smaller LVF.
His death came amid reports that the two groups were engaged in a
process of mediation to end the mutual slaughter.