This document, dated 5 July 1996 and written by John Holmes, Private Secretary to British Prime Minister John Major, provides a series of updates to Major regarding the Hume/Adams initiative and the Drumcree stand-off in Northern Ireland. Holmes commented on the draft reply to SDLP [Social Democratic and Labour Party] leader John Hume that the Northern Ireland Office had prepared on his request, and said that while he agreed with their general approach in the letter, he wanted to suggest a few changes. Holmes also discussed how the letter should be given to Hume, and whether the Prime Minister or Holmes himself should hand the letter over to Hume. He mentioned that Paddy Teahon, Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, had told him that the Irish had heard details about the Hume/Adams initiative from the SDLP, Sinn Féin and Irish-Americans, and that Teahon didn't think that the proposal ostensibly put forward by Gerry Adams [leader of Sinn Féin] and conveyed to them by Hume was credible. Holmes went on to describe the situation at Drumcree, where the Orange Order had stated that any effort by the RUC [Royal Ulster Constabulary] to re-route the march would not be tolerated.
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