This document records the bilateral meeting of the British Government and the UDP on 9 October 1996 to agree on the agenda for following talks. The Irish gave Quentin Thomas, Political Director of the Northern Ireland Office, their draft agenda agreed by the SDLP and UUP groups. A UDP delegation then met with Thomas and Gary McMichael of the UDP asserted that a benefit of staying in the negotiations needed to be established for them. McMichael proposed strengthening Sinn Fein’s entry requirements, to which Thomas highlighted the discretion of the Secretary of State on that issue. McMichael also asserted that Loyalists did not want the risk of humiliation by Sinn Fein. Thomas emphasised that the Loyalist ceasefire being maintained was part of what excluded Sinn Fein and a bid for the release of Loyalist prisoners was also an aim. The document also includes the draft agenda on the final page, which puts the circulation of proposals for the comprehensive agenda. This is followed by discussing the International Body’s proposals on decommissioning, then adopting an agenda and launching negotiations and decommissioning processes.
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