Sinn Féin declare they will not bow to pressure

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said there is little optimism of a breakthrough on the decommissioning issue despite Northern Ireland Assembly members and ministers returning to work on Monday after a 48 hour suspension.

Speaking at a rally to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the hunger strikes in the H-blocks on Sunday August 12, Mr Adams rejected Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid’s assertion that a deal to resolve decommissioning, policing and demilitarisation was tantalisingly close.

He said: “If the British are saying that a deal is within reach, does that mean they are going to pull troops out of south Armagh, Tyrone, west Belfast and north Belfast?”

He added: “I hear also the patronising tone that the institutions have been stood down for only one day and now it’s OK again. Well it’s not OK again. It isn’t OK to have all Ireland structures stood down, it isn’t OK that Sinn Fein ministers haven’t been accorded their rights and entitlement to do the job they were elected for.

“It isn’t OK that the British government are trying to hold on to plastic bullets and trying to foist a police force instead of a democratically accountable police service.”

In front of thousands of rain soaked supporters Mr Adams said that was essential that republicans would not yield to British government or unionist pressure.

"Behind the soft words really what is being opened up is a six- or seven-week period in which the British government and unionists are going to try to put pressure on republicans to move to resolve issues on British government or unionist terms".

Dr Reid said his decision to suspend the institutions for one day was no reason to abandon the considerable progress that has been made: “I certainly hope that no-one walks away because it has bought time for movement.”

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, called on the political parties to re-dedicate themselves to making the agreement work. He described IRA disarmament as a “political necessity and a moral obligation”, but said: “You cannot expect to resolve this matter in isolation. You will resolve it in the context of full implementation of the agreement.” (AMcE)