Record of informal discussion on procedural guidelines and agenda for plenary session on 2 July 1996 at 15.35

This document contains the summary record of the informal discussion on procedural guidelines and the agenda for the plenary session that took place on 2 July 1996. The meeting began with the Chairman inviting Michael Ancram to speak to his amendment regarding paragraph 17 of the Ground Rules. Reg Empey referred to section 2.3 of the Ground Rules paper and questioned the provision in Ancram's amendment. He argued that the issue of the exclusion of participants from the talks should not remain solely within the juridiction of the two Governments, and that the participants should be included in it. He also asked about the source of the authority which allowed for the exclusion of participants from the process. David Bleakley proposed that the Chairman could be made responsible for the exclusion of parties as opposed to the Governments, and this was immediately rejected by William McCrea and Robert McCartney. Peter Weir criticized the final words of the Governments' amendment, and indicated that it would allow the offending party to get a mere slap on the wrist. David Ervine asked why the amendment did not specify that the act of exclusion should be based strictly on evidence, and McCartney responded saying that pinning the blame on the exact individuals was difficult and noted the presence of parties with terrorist connections at the table. McCartney also stated his understanding of Ground Rule 13, which was that parties had to address decommissioning at the beginning of the talks. Both Tommy English and Billy Hutchinson responded to McCartney's comments and criticized his dismissal of the political legitimacy of the loyalist parties. Ancram addressed the issues raised with the amendment and proposed further amendments for GR17. The Chairman said he would compile the draft rules of procedure and the Ground Rules into a single paper. Seamus Mallon underlined the issues that would arise out of continuous amendments. The Chairman proposed an adjournment at 16.50, after which the delegates would start the discussion on the status of the Ground Rules paper.

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Introductory Informal Discussions on Procedural Guidelines and Agenda 1996-07-02 15:35

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Writing Peace: George J. Mitchell Collection

Record of informal discussion on procedural guidelines and agenda for plenary session on 2 July 1996 at 15.35

Monday, 08 July 1996

Writing Peace: George J. Mitchell Collection