File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1998/marxism-international.9803, message 214


Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 20:33:37 -0500
From: Yoshie Furuhashi <Furuhashi.1-AT-osu.edu>
Subject: Re: M-I: Bill, Tony and Gerry


James,

We ought to read this as a result of *our* failure--not the Irish Republicans'.

Yoshie

James H wrote:
>This hymn of praise to president Clinton and prime minister Tony Bliar
>is take from the Sinn Fein news service. It is pointed that Adams'
>pleads with 'Orange' David Trimble to say hello to him, like a good
>fellow.
>
>>>> 'Seize the moment' - Clinton
>
>
>    The past two days have confirmed that the Clinton
>    administration's interest in Ireland goes well beyond
>    the annual White House reception and ceremonial bowl of
>    shamrock.
>
>    Last night the US President made a strong appeal to
>    politicians in the northern talks process to grasp this
>    "chance of a lifetime" for peace.
>
>    Speaking on St Patrick's Day after a series of private
>    meetings with the northern party leaders, the Irish
>    Taoiseach and British officials, Clinton said: "Let us
>    bring a future to Ireland worthy of that great
>    achievement of St Patrick. This is the chance of a
>    lifetime for peace in Ireland."
>
>    "Tonight we have here in this room representatives,
>    leaders, of all the parties to the peace talks. It is a
>    great night," Clinton said at the annual St. Patrick's
>    reception,
>
>    "All of you, you have to seize this historic moment,"
>    Clinton said, calling for unionists to engage with
>    Republicans and urging all sides to support a push by
>    the Irish and British governments to draft an agreement
>    in the coming weeks.
>
>    On Monday evening, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams praised the
>    US President's grasp and insight into the situation in
>    the Six Counties.
>
>    Speaking after he lead a party delegation in a meeting
>    at the White House which he described as "very
>    constructive", he said: "The President was extremely
>    relaxed and entirely at ease with the issues we were
>    discussing. I was very impressed with his grasp of both
>    the broad shape of what is required and also his
>    insight into Sinn Fein thinking. All of the Sinn Fein
>    delegation were greatly encouraged both by the
>    President's continued attention and by his continued
>    committment to bringing about a democratic peace
>    process and helping and encouraging the conditions
>    whereby that can be achieved."
>
>    Mr Adams said the meeting went on longer than planned
>    and that the US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine
>    Albright, was "a very welcome presence" at the meeting.
>    Her attendance showed the broad concern of the US
>    administration to help move the situation forward, he
>    said.
>
>    He warned that the next few weeks would be dangerous.
>    "In many ways I suppose, without spinning it up too
>    much, some people might think we are facing into the
>    most difficult part of the process.
>
>    "But Sinn Fein is in this process to make a democratic
>    deal, Sinn Fein is in this process to buy into that
>    deal."
>
>    He said the party would persist with its peace strategy
>    and commitment to the process until there was a
>    permanent and durable peace for all the people on the
>    island of Ireland, but ge acknowledged that a united
>    Ireland was unlikely to happen by May. "What we need to
>    see is a rolling, or transitional process which will at
>    least move that (a united Ireland) forward in a way
>    which takes on board the current difficulties at this
>    time," he said.
>
>    The Sinn Fein President again appealed for Ulster
>    Unionist leader David Trimble to negotiate with his
>    party.  The message was repeated by the party's
>    Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness, who was in New
>    York to represent Sinn Fein at the St. Patrick's Day
>    parade.
>
>    Said Adams: "Mr Trimble needs to stop talking at Sinn
>    Fein and start talking to Sinn Fein. The people we
>    represent are first-class citizens, they are no better
>    than anyone else in the island of Ireland and they are
>    no worse...His own people, who are my people also, will
>    applaud courage from the unionist leadership."
>
>    "I would implore Mr Trimble - not to trust me
>    necessarily at this point, because that's maybe
>    something which we have to find a bridge to develop the
>    type of relationship which is required - but to trust
>    himself as a leader, that he can sit down, argue,
>    debate, negotiate and listen. I am quite prepared to do
>    that, and I have lots of reasons and lots of people
>    give me lots of reasons not to talk to Mr Trimble, but
>    I think it's my duty to do so."
>
>    Adams later told reporters that the potential for
>    agreement existed, but had been thwarted by Mr
>    Trimble's failure to speak to him, even when the two
>    men are seated side-by-side.
>
>    "The problem ... for the process is that Mr Trimble has
>    yet to come to talk to Sinn Fein. We're in the talks,
>    we're in the same room. The man won't even say hello,"
>
>    A British embassy lunch yesterday afternoon was
>    attended by Adams, Trimble and several other party
>    leaders.
>
>    But the Ulster Unionist was defiant. "He [Mr Adams] has
>    said nothing of any value inside the talks and is
>    merely running around with this story outside to
>    distract attention from his own failure," he claimed as
>    he arrived at the White House to see Clinton.
>
>    But Trimble is coming under increasing pressure to
>    relent, with the Irish, British and US governments
>    united in seeking intense round-table negotiations
>    among all the parties in the coming two weeks.
>
>    British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said the sides
>    are "agonizingly close" to a resolution and has
>    indicated he will take a bigger personal role in the
>    talks to try to push for agreement.
>
>
>--
>James Heartfield





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