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These papers were digitized by Dr Shelley Deane, Annabel Harris, Isha Pareek, Antoine Yenk, Ruth Murray and Eleanor Williams. We are very grateful to the library and archives staff at Bowdoin College for all their kindness and help in assembling this material, particularly Kat Stefko and Anne Sauer.
[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"CONFIDENTIAL"},{"attributes":{"align":"center"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nFrom: Independent Chairmen Notetakers\n\t\t\t19 June 1996\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"SUMMARY RECORD OF INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS ON PROCEDURAL GUIDELINES AND AGENDA FOR PLENARY SESSION - WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE 1995 (12.08)"},{"insert":"\n\nThose present:\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Independent Chairmen"},{"insert":"\nSenator Mitchell\nGeneral de Chastelain\nMr Holkeri\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Government Teams"},{"insert":"\nBritish Government\nIrish Government\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Parties"},{"insert":"\nAlliance Party\nLabour Party\nNorthern Ireland Women's Coalition\nProgressive Unionist Party\nSocial Democratic and Labour Party\nUlster Democratic Party\nUlster Democratic Unionist Party\nUnited Kingdom Unionist Party\nUlster Unionist Party\n\n1. \tAt 12.08 the "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Chairman"},{"insert":" reconvened the informal meeting. He indicated that prior to the adjournment of this gathering earlier in the morning, two participants had sought recognition from the chair. He now asked that these participants address the meeting, and also indicated that he felt that discussions were close to agreement on many of the present rules.\n\n2. \t"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Robinson"},{"insert":" proceeded to outline reasons why his party had arrived this morning with high hopes of progress being made on the rules of procedure. He had provided a suggestion on 18 June regarding certain aspects of the text which consequently was deemed to be helpful and he had therefore hoped that more progress would be made on the rules this morning. Unfortunately he had quite accidentally stumbled on an issue, while looking at those rules, which now needed to be dealt with. It was a vitally important matter to his party and a strong point of principle in terms of how the proceedings of the negotiations should be governed overall. "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Robinson"},{"insert":" indicated that his party thought this informal process had been dealing at all times with \"a blank piece of paper\". That was the reason why the DUP had included, in their proposals for the rules, proposals from the Ground Rules document - thereby allowing the Ground Rules to be superseded with these new rules. If this was not the case, he stated, there was then a need to clearly establish the standing of the Ground Rules document and also the document dated 6 June, where there were issues which affected the role of the Independent Chairman.\n\n3. \t"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Robinson"},{"insert":" acknowledged that there were some points on the 6 June paper which might well be dealt with at a later stage under the full Agenda, but there were clearly others which could not wait for that. He continued saying that there was a need for a clear definition of \"negotiations\" in relation to several paragraphs in the Ground Rules document and the relationship, in a legal sense, that this document had with the entire process and with the new rules being drafted. In concluding his remarks, he restated an earlier point that the Ground Rules did not have any life in the present process although the legal standing of them, on their own was not being questioned. "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Robinson"},{"insert":" referred back to remarks made earlier by Attorney General Gleeson, reinforcing the point, in his view, that the analogy of the Ground Rules to scaffolding erected around a building to either construct or repair it could also be viewed in the context of it being a temporary measure which can then be taken away once the building (ie, the new rules) was finished.\n\n3. \t"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Mallon"},{"insert":" commenced by saying that his party regarded the Ground Rules as a sound basis for the whole process to be built upon. The Ground Rules had formed the basis for negotiations on 10 June, and they had been carefully written following discussions between the Governments and the main political parties. In his view the Ground Rules were set out in clear terms and covered all the various aspects of the negotiations. Moving on, "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Mallon"},{"insert":" commented that it was clear that participants wanted to look at the rules of procedure to enable those negotiations to be adopted in a proper and democratic manner. There was nothing wrong with this approach. He continued saying that the Ground Rules and changes or alterations to them were, in his view, not in the remit of this particular body. The document (ie, Ground Rules) represented an agreed position and therefore he viewed the comments made from the UUP and DUP as a calculated attempt to ambush plans for producing an Agenda for a Plenary today and for the drafting of rules currently under way. He reaffirmed his view that the SDLP accepted the standing of the Ground Rules. His party, he stated, might well disagree with many of the issues contained therein but they had buried some of these in the interests of moving forward.\n\n5. \t"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Mallon"},{"insert":" stated that the Ground Rules represented the framework as to why everyone was in the room. The rules of procedure and the contents therein were an entirely separate issue because they focused on how the business would be conducted. On a further point, "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Mallon"},{"insert":" indicated that in his view, many of the parties around the table had made allowances towards the Unionists concerns and he admitted that this had resulted in progress. He hoped that progress would be continued. He considered, however, that attempting to change the Ground Rules only abused those parties who had made allowances up to now. He stated it was grossly unfair for anyone to be put in a position where either one made allowances towards continuing tactical points or alternatively one had to make a stand against this policy. In reference to the latter point "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Mr Mallon"},{"insert":" stated that the SDLP were not moving on the Ground Rules document and would accept no change to it.\n\n6. \tThe "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Chairman"},{"insert":" at 12.21 adjourned the meeting, subject to the call of the chair and noted that when a further meeting was reconvened, both Mr McCartney and Mr Curran wished to address the chair.\n\n[Signed]\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Independent Chairmen Notetakers"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"19 June 1996"},{"insert":"\n\n0IC/13\n"}]
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Folder 02: Final Report, 22 January 1996
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Folder 34: [Meetings, 16 December 1995–19 January 1996]
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Mitchell Principles
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Folders 01-03: Record of Informal Discussions on Rules of Procedure and Opening Agenda, 12 June 1996 to 2 July 1996
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Folders 17-18: Liaison Subcommittee on Decommissioning – Documents and Minutes
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Folders 23-24: Documents and Associated Items from Fall 1996 to Winter 1997 Opening Plenary Debates
This document contains the summary record of the informal discussion on procedural guidelines and the agenda for the plenary session that took place on 19 June 1996. The Chairman called Peter Robinson and Seamus Mallon to address the meeting regarding the issue of the relative status of the Ground Rules and procedural guidelines papers. Robinson said that the DUP had entered the talks under the assumption that the informal negotiations had been dealing with "a blank piece of paper", and that it was very important to his party that once the new procedural rules were in order, that the old Ground Rules as well as the Scenario paper from 6 June 1996 be set aside. This presentation was followed by a statement by Mallon, who highlighted that the Ground Rules paper formed the basis of the negotiations that began on 10 June 1996, that it and the procedural guidelines paper served different purposes, and that the present body did not have the remit to be able to make any alterations in it. He accused UUP and DUP of interrupting the talks process, and stated that the SDLP would not make any concessions on the status of the Ground Rules paper. The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 12.21.
The Quill Project has received one-time, non-exclusive use of the papers in this collection from Bowdoin College Library to make them available online as part of Writing Peace.
This document was created by Irish and British Government civil servants in the course of their duties and therefore falls under Crown Copyright and Irish Government Copyright. Both Governments are committed to the European Communities (Re-Use of Public Sector Information) Regulations.
Subseries 2 (M202.7.2) Commission Documents (1995-1998), Series 7 (M202.7) Northern Ireland Records (1995-2008), George J. Mitchell Papers, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine, digitized by the Quill Project at https://quillproject.net/resource_collections/125.
