UNITED KINGDOM: SINN FEIN ASKS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO SCRAP ELECTIONS IN FAVOUR OF ALL-PARTY TALKS

Record ID: 337626

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: SINN FEIN ASKS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO SCRAP ELECTIONS IN FAVOUR OF ALL-PARTY TALKS
  • Date: 30th January 1996
  • Summary: BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JANUARY 30, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV BUILDING WHERE MEETING TOOK PLACE 0.06 2. SV SINN FEIN LEADER GERRY ADAMS COMING OUT OF BUILDING 0.13 3. SCU ADAMS SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 1.14 4. SV ADAMS BEING DRIVEN AWAY 1.37 5. SCU BRITAIN'S NORTHERN IRELAND MINISTER SIR PATRICK MAYHEW SPEAK
  • Embargoed: 14th February 1996 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVAF394D4KEJ0C7FNOT8978MRLT5
  • Story Text: Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), on Tuesday (January 30) urged the British government to scrap a proposal for elections in Northern Ireland in favour of immediate all-party peace talks, but the entreaty was met with a blunt refusal.

    A 75-minute meeting was held in Belfast between Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein and Britain's minister for Northern Ireland, Sir Patrick Mayhew.

    After the talks, Adams said neither the election proposal nor the British demand that the IRA give up its weapons were acceptable.

    "The only way to clarify this from the British government's point of view is for (British Prime Minister) John Major to publicly retract on the election diversion...and also to publicly drop his pre-conditions for an IRA surrender of weapons,".

    Mayhew said his government would not give up the idea of elections."No, the answer to that is no." The talks had been called at short notice to try to calm nationalist anger over Britain's election proposal.

    The idea was put forward last week to the annoyance of the government of Ireland who were not told about it in advance.Dublin complained the proposal was a breach of the joint strategy for peace, launched in December 1993.

    Adams maintained elections were a further device by London to stall the group's involvement in talks aimed at turning 17-month truces by rival guerrilla groups into a permanent peace.

    Britain said that since the banned IRA and Protestant Loyalist refuse to bow to its demand for a weapons handover before talks, an election might be an alternative way to create a climate for progress on the impasse.

    "What the Prime Minister (Major) has said is it's all about confidence...that people sitting around the negotiating table are committed to democratic and peaceful means," Mayhew said.

    Later on Tuesday, John Hume, leader of the moderate Catholic Social Democratic and Labour Party, was scheduled to meet Major in London to urge him to abandon the election idea.

    Meanwhile, a leading member of the political arm of a left-wing republican guerrilla group was shot dead in Belfast on Tuesday, security sources said.

    Gino Gallagher was believed by the security forces to be the Chief of Staff of the republican Irish National Liberation Army.He was also a leading member of its political wing the Irish Republican Socialist Party.

    Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP) politician, Joe Hendron said he believed the shooting was nothing to do with the IRA and could be the result of a feud within the INLA.


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