This document details the meeting discussing decommissioning on 7 October 1996. It was reportedly not well-attended and was “overshadowed” by the HQNI bomb attacks that day, also referred to as the Thiepval Barracks bombing. Briefing involved a call from 10 Downing Street with proposals for bringing Sinn Fein into negotiations, suggesting Senator George J. Mitchell [Chairman of Plenary in the Peace Initiative] as an interim bilateral negotiator. The UUP discussed their bilateral with the SDLP for agreement on the agenda for the opening plenary and Minister of State for Northern Ireland Michael Ancram suggested there was “not too much distance” in party positions on the agenda. The UUP maintained that Sinn Fein’s entry conditions should be clarified before going into the following talks process. Quentin Thomas, Political Director of the Northern Ireland Office, suggested press coverage showed there was a gap in party approaches to the talks. Reg Empey of the UUP stated their concern over Sinn Fein not meeting equal commitment levels was what delayed decommissioning and risked failure from the committee. Thomas questioned the flexibility of this view, to which Empey pointed to the UUP paper as a “shopping list” for issues to solve. A colleague strengthened this by referring to the paper as a public and private commitment. Ancram stated the Government paper took account of UUP concerns, but decommissioning rested upon the pre-conditions imposed by the UUP. Empey held that the process being parallel required an early peaceful test of Sinn Fein’s commitment, such as an early deposit of arms. This should be distinct from political progress. Ancram responded to the Government having its own pre-conditions for talks such as ceasefire as being responsive to the circumstances. Procedural concerns around the agenda were also discussed, expressing the unnecessary nature of opening statements and Empey’s appreciation for inclusion of UUP viewings in the new proposal. Following a bilateral between the UUP and the SDLP, the UUP and British Government met again following the HQNI bombing. Agreement on the agenda was closer following the UUP concession to refer to the International Body, alongside opening up talks on an exit strategy. The UUP expressed confidence in maintaining support of other Unionist parties.
(To go a specific resource item, please click on its link.)
None
None
Copyright
None
Physical Copy Information
None
Digital Copy Information
None