The leader of the Irish Republican Army’s political wing demanded that Britain “honour its obligations and commitments” under the Good Friday Agreement.
Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Féin, spoke at a press conference in Toronto last Saturday as part of a five-day North American tour. Referring to the “turbulence” of the peace process, he said “political institutions have been suspended by the British government.”
Sinn Féin is the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland, having grown tremendously since Adams was elected president in 1983. Their objective is to end British rule on the island by uniting the Irish Republic with the six counties of Ulster, or Northern Ireland, which are currently under British rule. Mr. Adams and his party have been instrumental in furthering the Irish Peace Process and arriving at the Good Friday Agreement.
The Good Friday peace accord created a Catholic-Protestant government, including Sinn Féin, in Northern Ireland in 1998. It also marked the end of a long armed struggle carried out by the Irish Republican Army. The agreement, which will be five years old this Easter, was described by Mr. Adams as a “huge breakthrough.”
On Oct. 14, however, the British government suspended the power of the locally elected power-sharing government. This came after the major Protestant party, the Ulster Unionists, threatened to resign. The Unionists wanted Sinn Féin, the political arm of the IRA, to leave the coalition. Furthermore, they wanted the IRA to disband. Distrust of the IRA has divided the Catholic-Protestant government.
Emphasizing that the British government is not living up to its promises, Mr. Adams says it has made a mistake by suspending Northern Ireland’s political institutions for the fourth time. He wishes to put these institutions back into place and ensure both the British and Irish governments live up to their side of the agreement. The peace process “needs dialogue,” he said.
Adams remains optimistic, saying it is his “conviction that we will get the process back on the rails,” despite its slow development. He said the situation has “improved immeasurably” and fewer people have been killed, though he admits the situation has had “plusses and minuses.”
Nationalists now have a sense of the value of their vote, Adams said, and his party does not expect to go backwards. They have recently seen the largest turnout of nationalists to vote in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Adams commended Canada’s “consistent record” of support for the peace process. He added the IRA have “enjoyed a good relationship with the Prime Minister for some time.” He thanked Canadians for the “good and positive role” they have played in the peace process.
