25.01.1996

Irish ‘peace’ on course

REPUBLICAN satisfaction over the Mitchell Report’s recommendations was short-lived last Wednesday. The international commission, headed by US ex-senator George Mitchell, declared it “impractical” for the Irish paramilitaries to begin ‘decommissioning’ their arms before all-party talks were underway and recommended that talks and the destruction of arms should take place in parallel.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams declared: “The onus is now on John Major to accept the democratic empowerment of the commission he set up.” But instead Major announced that there would first be elections to a temporary Six-County assembly - a proposal to gladden the hearts of Ulster unionists and enrage republicans, who see it as a return to Stormont and the unionist veto.

But Major did climb down on his original insistence on arms, merely stating that his government would strive to get arms decommissioned before rather than during talks.

Of course all these ‘concessions’ - to both unionists and republicans - are part of a carefully pre-planned charade to ensure that the imperialist ‘peace process’ stays on track. Sinn Fein and the IRA have made it abundantly clear that their armed resistance to British rule is over and Major knows there is no point in provoking unnecessary antagonism.

The Irish Republican Socialist Party stated: “The failure to address in any way, shape or form the weapons held by the forces of the state is a glaring and fundamental flaw.”

Alan Fox