Record of informal discussion on procedural guidelines and agenda for plenary session on 26 June 1996 at 10.05

This document contains the summary record of the informal discussion on procedural guidelines and the agenda for the plenary session that took place on 26 June 1996. The Chairman began by going over the draft rules of procedure paragraph by paragraph, requesting all delegates to indicate only whether they had objections to it, without going into detail about them. Peter Robinson raised objections to paragraphs 1-3, 10, 12, 15, 23, 26, 27, 30 and 37. Robert McCartney raised objections to paragraphs 7, 8 and 9. Nigel Dodds raised objections to paragraph 11, and the UUP raised objections to paragraphs 13 and 31-34. They went on to discuss amendments proposed by the UUP, DUP, Britsh-Irish Governments, and the DUP-UKUP. After the run through of the proposed amendments, the Chairman asked everyone to go over each paragraph, with the aim of resolving decision-making issues before adjournment. Regarding paragraph 2, Robinson voiced his concerns regarding the continuation of the plenary format beyond the opening plenary. McCartney said that he was worried that the plenary would be used to get Sinn Féin into the talks. The two Governments explained that the plenary was important because it would allow the parties to come together at a future point to achieve comprehensive agreement and to report back on issues such as decommissioning. The delegates also discussed how many representatives should be part of the Business Committee and what their electoral status should be. This debate also raised questions about whether the Business Committee dealt with matters pertaining to the negotiations, or whether its remit was limited to procedural matters. Regarding paragraph 15, Robinson noted his objection with the ostensible requirement to "negotiate" rather than "discuss" issues; he concern with regard to this provision was related to issue of the union, which, he emphasized, was not up for negotiation. Seamus Mallon resisted this point, arguing that negotiation of constitutional issues was important to his party. Michael Ancram directed the delegates to paragraph 15a of the Governments' proposed additions, and clarified that it did not mean that parties would be forced to negotiate; Mallon replied to this by noting that the point of the talks was to negotiate and not to merely discuss. Gary McMichael also expressed concern over the language of the amendments, and David Trimble suggested that negotiation did not imply that a change would follow it. Bronagh Hinds suggested an amendment to paragraph 15 which would emphasize that delegates could not be forced to negotiate, and Ancram proposed adding the words "by agreement" to the text. The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 12:28, after requesting participants to submit proposals on how to resolve the present issue over paragraph 15. The document encloses the draft rules of procedure and the proposed additions from UUP, DUP, British and Irish Governments, and the DUP-UKUP front from 25 June 1996.

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Introductory Informal Discussions on Procedural Guidelines and Agenda 1996-06-26 10:05

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Writing Peace: George J. Mitchell Collection

Record of informal discussion on procedural guidelines and agenda for plenary session on 26 June 1996 at 10.05

Friday, 28 June 1996

Writing Peace: George J. Mitchell Collection