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Writing Peace: David Trimble Collection

UKUP decommissioning statement to Opening Plenary, 30 October 1996, enclosing press cuttings relevant to the statement

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Robert McCartney QC MP, representing the United Kingdom Unionist Party, presents a comprehensive critique of the decommissioning process. McCartney argues that decommissioning cannot be isolated from the political objectives of the major participants, emphasizing that both constitutional nationalism and violent republicanism share the goal of Irish unification. He criticizes the British Government's past efforts, such as the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement, for fostering pro-Union distrust and accuses the government of shifting from accommodating nationalists within the UK to appeasing republican extremism. McCartney contends that the political leverage of nationalist groups is enhanced by their association with violent factions, and he insists that Sinn Féin's participation in the talks should be contingent upon a complete and permanent cessation of violence, accompanied by significant decommissioning of arms. He rejects the Mitchell Report's recommendations for phased decommissioning tied to political progress, arguing that it undermines democratic principles by allowing paramilitary groups to dictate terms. McCartney concludes that the UK Unionist Party will not participate in talks with Sinn Féin unless stringent decommissioning conditions are met, including the immediate handing over of weapons and a clear commitment to democratic procedures.

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