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Writing Peace: George J. Mitchell Collection

Record of informal discussion on procedural guidelines and agenda for plenary session on 19 June 1996 at 14.53

Monday, 24 June 1996

i24738

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. Robert McCartney and Peter Robinson spoke in relation to the status of the Ground Rules. Robinson argued that only the provisions mentioned in the enabling act had legal standing, and McCartney said that his main objection to the paper was that it was created by both Governments without any real input by the participants and that it was in favour of an Irish nationalist position. McCartney also referred to the Scenario paper, stating that the UKUP was not going to address the concerns of Sinn Féin and that its main objective was to clearly define procedural guidelines and to circumscribe the powers of the Chairman with regards to decommissioning. Malachi Curran argued that all parties would have known the contents of the Ground Rules paper as well as the 28 February communique before entering the negotiations. David Trimble said that the UUP had circulated a paper to identify the Ground Rules which related to procedures which had not yet been in consideration by the informal plenary, in the hope that they could pick useful provisions from it and insert it in the draft rules of procedure. Robinson stated that he had asked for the removal of references to consultation from the draft rules of procedure because the consultative process that had gone into the Ground Rules paper had not resulted in unionist views being integrated into it. He asked if other elements of the Scenario paper were still in effect. Dermot Gleeson reaffirmed the statutoty basis of the Ground Rules while Seamus Close pointed out that the rules of procedure that would be decided in formal plenary were different from the rules for the negotiating body that were outlined in Command paper 3232 and backed by legislation. Reg Empey highlighted that the remaining non-procedural issues, such as the ones mentioned by McCartney earlier, were up for debate because they had no legal standing. Michael Ancram requested an adjournment to discuss the comments, and the Chairman adjourned the meeting at 16.15.

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