Negotiations enter critical phase in the north of Ireland

[mrgorth]

NEGOTIATIONS ENTER CRITICAL PHASE IN NORTH
>11/29/04 13:43 EST
>
>A Sinn Féin delegation, including the party's president, Mr
>Gerry Adams, is to meet Irish premier Bertie Ahern in Dublin
>tomorrow as efforts to restore power sharing in Northern
>Ireland intensify.
>
>
>The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader the Rev Ian
>Paisley is to meet the British Prime Minister Tony Blair
>tomorrow.
>
>
>Earlier, Mr Adams held an unprecedented meeting with PSNI
>chief constable, Mr Hugh Orde, while Mr Paisley met with
>General John de Chastelain of the Independent International
>Commission for Decommissioning (IICD).
>
>
>Mr Adams and Mr Orde met for just over two hours as the
>republican leadership pushed for commitments by security
>chiefs that they will remove British army lookout posts and
>other military apparatus.
>
>
>It is one of the key demands at the center of tense
>negotiations to try to hammer out an agreement which can get
>the power sharing executive and Assembly back up and running
>again in Belfast.
>
>
>Mr Adams' meeting with the Chief Constable was the first
>time Sinn Féin has had face-to-face talks with the head of
>the police service in Northern Ireland.
>
>
>After the meeting, Mr Adams emerged from Downing Street with
>a delegation which included Mr McGuinness and Ms Gildernew,
>insisting his party wanted a comprehensive deal.
>
>
>The Sinn Féin president said: "If there is a political will
>there, if we can get the DUP to agree in clear terms to
>power-sharing, to working this Agreement with the rest of
>us, treating people on the basis of equality, and if we can
>make sure that the package that emerges is bedded in the
>Agreement and about implementing the Agreement, then, of
>course, it isn't a matter in my view of if. We have always
>felt that a deal was inevitable if we keep pushing it and we
>are going to keep pushing it. It is a matter of when."
>
>
>Sinn Féin was stretching and challenging its supporters in a
>bid to secure the deal, Mr Adams said. However, he said
>others in the process needed to do that with their own
>constituencies too.
>
>
>"It is a collective responsibility," he said. "It's a
>comprehensive, holistic agreement that is required and it's
>about putting the Good Friday Agreement in place. It`s
>about building from there onwards to where we want to go,
>which is towards a united Ireland. Others have a different
>view and they should have the right to put that view as
>well. There was good work done today. Let`s continue to do
>good work."
>
>
>Mr Paisley spent more than an hour in deep discussions with
>General de Chastelain on how further acts of IRA disarmament
>could be verified. Mr Paisley said he was not going to be
>held to any deadline for a final agreement.
>
>
>"Things are at a very delicate stage. It really rests on the
>British government to carry out the promises that Mr Blair
>has made on decommissioning," he said.
>
>
>"If the decommissioning problem can be solved then we are on
>our way, but it is not solved at the present time. There is
>no time line as far as I am concerned, I think it is
>nonsense," he said.
>
>
>He will meet Mr Blair in Downing Street tomorrow and said if
>everything was going well Mr Blair would then have to talk
>to General de Chastelain who, in turn, would have to talk to
>the IRA to see whether they would accept or reject what was
>being decided, he said.
>
>
>"There are a host of things that need to be settled - we
>have to wait and see what is going to happen."
>
>
>He said some reports he had read in newspapers about what
>was happening were "nonsense".
>
>
>The DUP wants photographic evidence of IRA decommissioning
>and independent scrutiny by observers.
>
>
>The Rev Paisley said a particular person had been named as
>being acceptable to him as an observer, but he said: "I
>don't know the man."
>
>
>The talks are at such a delicate stage that the British
>Prime Minister Tony Blair was reluctant to make any
>substantial comment at his monthly press conference for fear
>of scuppering a possible deal later this week.
>
>
>"I think we are obviously at a very intensive stage now," he
>said. "I think the best thing for me is to say very little
>to you because we have been so many times before where hopes
>have been raised and then they have been dashed that I am
>almost fearful of raising them."
>
>
>"It's obvious that people would like to get a deal done.
>Whether that is possible or not, the next few days will tell
>us but I don't think there is probably anything I can very
>sensibly say to you at the moment," Mr. Blair said.
>
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>
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[SweetLeftFoot]

1. Paisley

If Paisley hand't made that ridiculous statement about the Provos "needing to wear sackcloth and ashes", the deal would be done by now.

I think the Army Council (not that I'm in touch with them that often any more :-) ) will just wait for Paisley to die.

[mrgorth]

2. Hell doesn't want him

he'll probably linger for years. Plus, he's got jr. to replace him. IMO, DUP doesn't want a deal.