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Writing Peace: The National Archives of the UK (TNA)

Enclosure: Annex A – Background on the Joint Declaration Initiative

Wednesday, 13 October 1993

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The Declaration will set out that for Northern Ireland to unite with the Republic of Ireland there has to be agreement and consent of the people of Northern Ireland. Thus, it confirmed Irish self-determination but with this stringent condition. Albert Reynolds, Taoiseach, believes this will lead to a ceasefire. It also would establish a permanent Irish Convention which would be open to all parties with elected representation, which included Sinn Féin. The document then states that the advantage for the British Government here is that it commits it to doing very little or changing much strategy - it is the Irish Government who bear the brunt. The document then discusses the problem of self-determination and its different meaning in the Irish context and the question of a constitutional guarantee. Naturally, most contentions are around the specificity of the language being used. This document is for potential briefing of other ministers or stakeholders.

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Writing Peace: The National Archives of the UK (TNA)

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