|
(Continued from page 67)
port, to the British Government in mid-October, for the preparatory phase of all-party talks to be launched not later than 30 November and for an international body under Senator George Mitchell to report on "whether it has been established that a clear commitment exists on the part of the respective political parties to an agreed political settlement, achieved through democratic negotiations, and to the satisfactory resolution of the question of arms". The two main unionist parties reject these proposals.
28 November 1995. The British and Irish Governments issue a joint
communiqué embodying the twin-track approach: all-party talks by the end of
February 1996; an international body to be set up and to report by mid-
January 1996.
24 January 1996. The Mitchell Commission report sets out six fundamental principles of democracy and non-violence and recommends that participants to all-party talks should affirm their total and absolute commitment to them. On arms, it says "there is a clear commitment on the part of those in possession of such arms to work constructively to achieve full and verifiable decommissioning as part of the process of all-party negotiations; but that commitment does not include decommissioning prior to such negotiations". It therefore suggests a compromise that some decommissioning would take place during all-party negotiations. It recommends that decommissioning should receive a high priority in all-party negotiations and that it should be complete, mutual (as between republican and loyalist paramilitaries), verifiable and carried out to the satisfaction of an independent commission. The process should suggest neither victory nor defeat and parties should be given the option of destroying the arms themselves. The Commission also says that "If it were broadly acceptable, with an appropriate mandate and within the three-strand structure, an elective process could contribute to the building of confidence". Major welcomes the report in the House of Commons but says that before all-party negotiations could take place either paramilitaries would have to make a start on decommissioning or an election should be held to secure a democratic mandate for such negotiations.
9 February 1996. The IRA bombs London's Docklands.
16 February 1996. In a public opinion po11 95 per cent of Protestants and
68 per cent of Catholics say that all or some weapons should be
decommissioned before inter-party talks. A new elected body was supported
by 70 per cent and opposed by 14 per cent.
|
|
