Deal can be done says McLaughlin

William Graham, Irish News


March 11, 2003

Sinn Féin national chairman Mitchel McLaughlin last night (Monday) said he believed all the peace process issues surrounding the implementation of the Good Friday agreement can be resolved. Yesterday Sinn Féin had meetings with the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP in following up on last week’s Hillsborough summit.

It is also planned that Sinn Féin leaders will meet with US special envoy Richard Haass in Washington on Wednesday as part of the St Patrick’s week events.

Mr McLaughlin said it was a busy time of discussions and this was across “all those issues which were not closed on last week”. He said the issues included demilitarisation, policing, criminal justice, the equality agenda and stabilising the political institutions.

“This is all work in progress. We are using the agreement and we are demonstrating to David Trimble and the British government that there is a mechanism (even if did involve tweaking) within the confines of the agreement.

“We have no issue of principle in terms of sanctions for those who break the agreement, although we did point out to David Trimble that he was the one in most danger,” Mr McLaughlin said.

On the other issues, Mr McLaughlin says that Sinn Féin has moved the British government substantially on criminal justice. And Mr McLaughlin said: “Similarly, we have moved them substantially towards the Patten threshold on policing. We are just not quite at the point where we would maybe have to bring the Sinn Féin membership together to discuss this matter out. But we are a whole lot closer to it now.

“This is not just in the context of the 48 hours at Hillsborough, but it was the two or three weeks before that when the tempo of engagement built up.

“I think the concentrated focus over a short period of time was slightly miscalculated. All of the parties could have done more business if there had been sufficient time set aside.”

Asked from where things stand at present, was it his judgement that all of the issues could be satisfactorily resolved, Mr McLaughlin replied: “Absolutely. This has always been our view.”

Yesterday Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams had meetings with David Trimble and Mark Durkan. Also, Martin McGuinness and Conor Murphy had discussions later with Ulster Unionists Reg Empey and Michael McGimpsey.

Ulster Unionist leader Mr Trimble emphasised that devolution can be rapidly restored if republicans take the necessary steps to increase confidence in the peace process.

Mr Trimble said the IRA must decommission all its weapons, declare that its war is over and cease all paramilitary activity. He also accused the IRA of hampering the work of General John de Chastelain’s Independent Inter-national Commission on Decom- missioning (IICD).

“Republicans know that they have to decommission in an open and verifiable manner. That means that what they do must be seen, and not rely on merely General de Chastelain’s words that they have done the deed,” he said.

“And they know that a statement that this so-called war is over is essential to rebuild confidence.

“They know they will be locked into tough sanctions if their fiends in the IRA wobble and revert to their old ways.”

Sinn Féin’s Mr McLaughlin accused Mr Trimble of being provocative.