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Writing Peace: George J. Mitchell Collection

Record of an opening plenary meeting on 5 March 1997 at 12.10 (OIC/PS65)

Friday, 21 March 1997

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This is the draft summary record of an opening plenary session on Wednesday 5 March 1997 at 12.10. The Chairman reported a continuing lack of agreement on decommissioning and a proposal to adjourn the plenary until June, after the general and district council elections. The DUP wanted but did not get clarification that this would be decided by consensus. The British and Irish Governments supported this proposal in the absence of progress. The DUP wanted a vote on its proposals. It also asked about the status of the Forum and criticized the Framework Documents and the peace process to date. The Chairman asked participants whether they wished to debate the DUP proposals. The UKUP amended this motion to include their proposals too. The British Government did not feel a debate would be helpful. The Irish Government agreed and stressed the importance of the Mitchell report to any proposals on decommissioning. Alliance proposed a time-limited debate. Labour and the NIWC agreed with this. The SDLP thought sufficient consensus could not be acheived so debate would be pointless. The UDP thought the debate would be of limited value but did not want to stymie it. The UKUP only wanted a vote on their proposals, not necessarily a debate. The UUP supported the proposal but said their papers were also on the table. The Chairman said there was insufficient consensus for a debate to take place and asked participants to consider his suggestion to adjourn. The UKUP criticized the whole process and then Sinn Féin. The UUP supported the adjournment but said the British Government needed to radically restructure the process. The British Government clarified the position of the Forum. Alliance supported the proposal but criticized the UUP's stance. They also emphasized the need for a timescale for negotiations. Labour supported the proposal for adjournment but were not optimistic about progress in the talks. The NIWC delivered a long speech about its disappointment over lack of progress in the talks. It considered that the Unionist mainstream had failed to fully appreicate nationalist acceptance of the principle of consent. It suggested a minor amendment to the date of reconvention. The PUP compared the process in the talks to the Forum and criticized the general approach taken to decommissioning. The SDLP also gave an overview of the talks so far and criticized the UUP's attitude to them. The UDP wanted a re-commitment to the process. The UKUP was concerned with attempts to bring Sinn Féin into the process and also with the involvement of the Irish Government. The DUP and the UKUP criticized the interventions of the NIWC and PUP. The British and Irish Governments emphasized the parameters of the process and their desire to see progress. The Irish Government laid out their issues with the process. They congratulated Patrick Mayhew on his retirement from public life. The DUP took issue with the words 'joint stewardship'.

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