UK: BELFAST: NORTHERN IRELAND PEACE PROCESS LATEST (2) скачать в хорошем качестве

UK: BELFAST: NORTHERN IRELAND PEACE PROCESS LATEST (2)

(28 Jun 1999) English/Nat British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern arrived in Belfast on Monday for three days of intensive talks aimed at saving the Northern Ireland peace process. It's hoped the talks will bring progress towards the formation of a new executive for the province and overcome the thorny issue of decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. Blair said on Monday that he believes the Ulster Unionists and Sinn Fein have given every indication that they want the Good Friday Agreement to work. The British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, Ireland's Taoiseach, arrived together for the talks at Stormont Castle at 1030 local time (0930 G-M-T). They were about to embark on three gruelling days of negotiations. At stake is the future of the Good Friday Agreement signed last year, but already under threat. Blair said on Monday he was optimistic there would be a result by Wednesday. He said there is overwhelming public demand for peace and every reason to be hopeful. The main sticking point has been over the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. The Northern Ireland First Minister, David Trimble, has insisted the Irish Republican Army (I-R-A) handover their weapons before their political wing Sinn Fein can join a new power-sharing executive. But Sinn Fein rejected this, saying there is no obligation to disarm in the Good Friday Agreement. Before entering the talks, Adams said he was hopeful the agreement would be implemented. But he also accused the Ulster Unionists of trying to turn the agreement on its head by demanding the I-R-A disarm before Sinn Fein can take their seats in the power-sharing Northern Ireland executive. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I want to say that we should not, any of us, underestimate the seriousness of this last critical stage of the negotiations. Sinn Fein is here to do the business. We do think and I hope there will be the possibility of implementing this agreement but I suppose Taoiseach (Prime Minister Bertie Ahern) and the British Prime Minister have acknowledged that it must be in the terms of the Good Friday agreement. Can I also say that the Unionists' slogan of "Guns before Government" turns the Good Friday agreement on its head." SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein President Talks are currently underway at the nearby Stormont House between the First Minister David Trimble and nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road. The annual Drumcree march has long been a flash point for tensions between the Orangemen and nationalists. Adams said he accepted the right of Orangemen to march, but said they should not go to Garvaghy Road where they were not wanted. SOUNDBITE: (English) "First of all I uphold the right of the Orangemen to march. And that means three thousand marches. But there is no absolute right to march so for the dozen or so contentious parades I think the Orangemen should do the decent thing and not go into areas where they are unwelcome. I think the residents of Garvaghy road, given what they have put up with for the last year or so, in fact you could argue what they have put up with since partition, that their position of their refusal to acquiesce to an Orange parade is entirely reasonable. We support that I hope the governments, both the Irish and British governments, will also support that and I hope that the parade's commission also supports it and I welcome David Trimble's remarks that the issue of Drumcree- Garvaghy Road is not part of the overall negotiations." SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein President Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...