PART 1 > IRISH NEWS ROUND-UP > http://irlnet.com/rmlist/ > > Saturday/Sunday, 24/25 June, 2000 > > > 1. IRA ARMS DUMPS EXAMINED > 2. Sinn Fein man injured in RUC baton attack > 3. Ahern in trouble after independent's by-election victory > 4. Oath to queen dropped for North's QC's > 5. Protest at British Army bandsmen in Dublin > 6. Children's programme to get U.S. govt. funding > 7. Government rejects call for more social housing > 8. Clinton ignored advice to forget Ireland > 9. Sinn Fein challenge for Mayor of Dublin > 10. New research slams mobile phones > 11. Gaughan Remembered > 12. Analysis: Orange Order challenged > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> IRA ARMS DUMPS EXAMINED > > > The IRA has confirmed that it has re-established contact with the > International Decommissioning Body and that a number of arms > dumps have been examined by the two agreed third parties, senior > ANC official Cyril Ramaphosa, and former Finnish President, > Martii Ahtisaari. > > "These dumps contained a substantial amount of material including > weapons, explosives and other equipment," according to a > statement issued this morning. > > "The leadership of the IRA have consistently sought to enhance > the peace process. This initiative demonstrates once more our > commitment to securing a just and lasting peace," it added. > > As part of a deal to bring about the full implementation of > the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the IRA agreed in May to allow two > independent international observers to examine some of its stock > of weapons as a confidence-building measure. > > The deal negotiated at Hillsborough Castle outside Belfast > included a series of commitments by the British, including the > restoration of the North's power-sharing executive, a program of > demilitarisation and the implementation of the Patten proposals > on policing reform. > > The two arms inspectors are reported to have already told General > de Chastelain of the international decommissioning body that the > weapons and explosives they inspected are safely and adequately > stored and cannot be used without their knowledge. > > Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams MP welcomed the IRA statement. > He said the unprecendent initiative by the IRA was both > "courageous and imaginative". > > "Everyone who wants the peace process to work will welcome this > significant development," he said. > > "There is a responsibility on everyone, but especially the British > government, to fully implement the commitments made in the Good > Friday Agreement and at Hillsborough." > > > The following is the full text of the IRA statement: > > On May 6 the leadership of the IRA announced an unprecedented > initiative which had the effect of breaking the impasse at that > time in the peace process. > > In our statements we made it clear that our initiative was in the > context of a series of commitments made by the two governments, > especially the British government. > > We announced that we would: > > * Resume contact with the IICD (Independent International > Commission on Decommissioning), and > * Put in place a confidence building measure. > > We now wish to confirm that we have re-established contact with > the IICD, and that a number of arms dumps have been examined by > the two agreed parties. > > These dumps contained a substantial amount of material including > weapons, explosives and other equipment. > > The leadership of the IRA have consistently sought to enhance the > peace process. This initiative demonstrates once more our > commitment to securing a just and lasting peace. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Sinn Fein man injured in RUC baton attack > > > Sinn Fein Assembly member Gerry Kelly was injured by an RUC baton > on Saturday as an Orange Order parade was forced through part of > the nationalist Springfield Road area of Belfast. > > Mr Kelly suffered a head injury as nationalist residents > protested against an anti-Catholic march which was forced into > their community through a sectarian interface. A heavy > deployment of militarised police facilitated the annual > anti-Catholic parade by the Orange Order after it got the > go-ahead from the Parades Commission last week despite strong > protests by local residents. > > From behind RUC police lines, loyalist hooligans chanted > sectarian slogans and pelted peaceful nationalist demonstrators > with stones and other missiles. > > Some of the Springfield Road residents have had loved ones > murdered by loyalist UVF and UDA death-squads but were once again > forced to watch as a UVF colour party marched past their homes, > in contravention of a Parades Commission ruling. > > Mr Kelly was attempting to control rising anger among > nationalists when he was batoned by an RUC man, apparently intent > on provoking a violent reaction. > > "I turned my back on a line of RUC men and was hit on the back of > the head with an RUC baton," said Kelly. "I think that the guy > knew I was an elected representative. What he did when he hit me > was he annoyed the crowd. In my opinion he did it to annoy the > crowd." > > As the marchers passed along the nationalist area, parade > organisers blared sectarian marching tunes through loudspeakers, > again in defiance of the Parades Commission. > > A loyalist UFF death-squad had threatened to shoot Catholics in > the area just days before the parade. John McGivern, of the > Springfield Residents Action Group, said the nationalist protest > had been very restrained given heightened tensions in the area. > > "Our community has been very dignified in the face of crazy > provocation by loyalists and the RUC," he said. > > The UFF threat had been "suspended", but fears of a resumption of > random sectarian killings remain high as the Protestant marching > season reaches its climax. > > Lower Falls Sinn Fein Councillor Tom Hartley called on the > Parades Commission to ban any future loyalist marches from the > area until the Orange Order engage in meaningful dialogue with > the residents of the Springfield Road. > > Speaking after the march, Councillor Hartley said the decision to > allow the march was "completely wrong". > > He called on the Parades Commission to "face down the Orange > Order, who continually defy any restrictions imposed on them". > > The event was observed by Mr Tom Constantine, the former head of > the Drug Enforcement Agency in America, now tasked with > overseeing policing reform in the North of Ireland. > > Meanwhile, in Portadown, hundreds of members of the Orange Order > yesterday took part in a protest rally in apparent preparation > for a renewed siege of the town's nationalist Garvaghy Road. > > The Order is planning to hold a series of marches between 2 July > and 12 July in a war of nerves to wear down opposition to a march > through the isolated Catholic enclave. > > The Parades Commission re-routed the parade away from the > disputed route in 1998 and 1999, largely on the basis the > Orangemen's continuing refusal to seek an accomodation with local > residents. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Ahern in trouble after independent's by-election victory > > > Ireland's ruling Fianna Fail party, constantly battered by > allegations of sleaze and cronyism, suffered a body blow on > Friday when its support slumped dramatically in a by- election. > > Fianna Fail candidate Barry O'Brien won only 23 percent of first > preference votes in the Tipperary South by-election, down some 15 > percent from the 1997 general election. > > Fianna Fail heads a minority right-wing government in coalition > with the small Progressive Democrat party. The coalition relies > on the support of independents for its majority in the 166-seat > Dail, the lower house of the Irish parliament. > > Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern described the > outcome as a "particularly disappointing result" for his party. > > He indicated again that he wanted the government to serve a full > five-year term rather than calling an early general election. An > election is not due until the middle of 2002 but some pundits say > strains in the coalition could trigger an election as early as > this autumn. > > "As we move forward into the next two years of this government's > term, we will redouble our efforts to deliver real change for > communities in South Tipperary and around the country," Ahern > said in a statement. > > Seamus Healy, an independent community candidate, won the seat > from the opposition Labour Party after it failed to improve its > vote. > > Recent surveys have shown a sharp decline in the support of all > the major parties as allegations of sleaze relating to the > planning process in Dublin become increasingly prevalent through > the public tribunals of inquiry. > > There are also concerns in Ireland that the government is > mishandling the economy, with inflation spiralling out of > control. The government's predictions that the headline inflation > figure would not reach 5% and would now be declining have been > proved badly wrong by recen t figures. > > Inflation hit 5.2% this month as statistics showed increasing oil > and mortgage prices causing knock-on costs for Irish households. > The high inflation rate means that a national pay agreement for a > 5% pay increase negotiated with the country's largest trade > unions is now unlikely to last. > > There is also a continuing furore over the government's decision > to nominate former Supreme Court judge Hugh O'Flaherty as > vice-president of the European Investment Bank. > > O'Flaherty resigned from the Supreme Court last year amid > criticism of his role in the early release of a prominent > architect convicted in 1997 of drunk driving and causing the > death of a woman. He has denied accusations that he used his > powers to relist the case improperly, claiming that court > proceedings were often organised in an informal and ad-hoc > manner. > > But the government is under immense pressure not to proceed with > the appointment of Mr O'Flaherty to the lucrative European post > without considering other candidates. > > Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said this week that the > O'Flaherty nomination should go before a new independent public > appointments commission which would consider it alongside other > applications in open competition. > > Mr Adams made the call when he opened the new Dublin South-West > constituency office of Sinn Fein parliamentary candidate, > Councillor Sean Crowe, and Councillor Mark Daly. The Sinn Fein > president said: > > "The Government has to help to restore confidence in public life. > One way to do this would be to establish an independent public > appointments commission, with all-party backing and with > representatives of civic society, which would review the > methodology of nominations to prestigious positions and draw up a > code of practice and regulations for the allocation of these. > > "If the Government is insistent in going forward with Mr > O'Flaherty's nomination, then they should put his name forward to > this new commission along with other suitable candidates." > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Oath to queen dropped for North's QC's > > > Lawyers appointed to the bar as "Queen's Counsel" in the North of > Ireland will no longer have to promise to serve the English > queen, the British Lord Chancellor has confirmed. > > The announcement comes after a High Court challenge by two > Belfast barristers, Seamus Treacy and Barry MacDonald, who said > the declaration was contrary to their political beliefs. > > While barristers will still be known as "Queen's Counsel" in the > North, their new declaration will be: > > "I (name) do sincerely promise and declare that I will well and > truly serve all whom I may lawfully be called upon to serve in > the office of one of her majesty's counsel learned in the law > according to the best of my skill and understanding." > > In the old declaration, barristers had to promise to serve "Her > Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and all whom I may lawfully be called > upon to serve". The new declaration was proposed by the British > Bar Council's Elliott Committee in 1997 but not implemented in > the Six Counties. > > Treacy and MacDonald won their case earlier this year on the > grounds that Irvine had been under the impression that judges in > the North of Ireland had been consulted on the new declaration > and had rejected it when in reality no such consultation had > taken place. > > Mr Treacy and Mr MacDonald's counsel, Mr Michael Lavery QC, had > also argued that the declaration was contrary to the Good Friday > Agreement. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Protest at British Army bandsmen in Dublin > > > Republicans picketed against the continuing British military > presence in the North of Ireland on Friday night as a British > Army band played in Dublin for the first time since Ireland was > partitioned in 1922. > > Members of the British Army's "Irish Guards" regiment shared a > platform with the 26-County Army band at the National Concert > Hall in Dublin. > > Outside, protestors held up banners calling for a complete > British military withdrawal from the northern Six Counties. > > Demonstrator Toni Carragher, from the South Armagh Farmers and > Residents Committee, a community group set up to campaign for > British demilitarisation of the area, said the visit of the > British Army band was an insult. > > "Defence minister Michael Smith claims that such visits are > normal between friendly countries, but there is nothing normal or > friendly about the British Army in South Armagh," he said. > > "Our farms, towns and villages and hillsides are dominated by > barracks, spy posts and checkpoints. Hundreds of British soldiers > patrol daily. We endure some of the heaviest helicopter traffic > in the world." > > Earlier Sinn Fein Dublin councillor Christy Burke also criticised > Mr Smith for welcoming the Guards. > > "What next -- an invite to the band of the Parachute Regiment?" > she asked, referring to 1972's Bloody Sunday when paratroopers > massacred 14 peaceful civil rights protesters in Derry. > > Despite the opposition, the organisers remained upbeat about the > concert. > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Children's programme to get U.S. govt. funding > > > A project bringing children from the North of Ireland to the U.S. > for cultural exchanges is to receive $250,000 in U.S. Federal > funding, U.S. Congress members Joseph Crowley and Nita Lowey have > announced. > > Project Children was included in the Foreign Operations > Appropriations budget at the request of Representatives Crowley > and Lowey. > > This will be the first time in the history of Project Children > that the program will receive U.S. Federal funding. > > "This will be great news for the peace process in Northern > Ireland," said Congressman Crowley. "This great program will > finally get the much needed funding that it deserves. Project > Children is one of the best opportunities to promote trust and > peace in a region that has experienced conflict for too long. > > "This funding will go a long way toward helping this > all-volunteer group bring stability to the lives of thousands of > children affected by the troubles in Northern Ireland." > > An all-volunteer organisation, Project Children began as a > grass-roots effort in 1975 in New York, to bring children out of > conflict areas in Northern Ireland to new environments. More than > 11,000 boys and girls have participated in the program. These > children from a range of ages spend six weeks in the United > States with Catholic and Protestant host families. Sometimes a > Protestant child joins a Catholic child in the same home with > remarkably positive results. Host families provide room and > board, and Project Children provides transportation and insurance > coverage for its Irish participants. > > "It is so important to bring the children of Northern Ireland > together at a young age to promote trust and understanding > between them," said Lowey. "This critical funding will help > instill a commitment to peace in Northern Ireland's future > leaders." > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > c. RM Distribution and others. Articles may be reprinted with credit. > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > RM Distribution > Irish Republican News and Information > http://irlnet.com/rmlist/ > > PO Box 160, Galway, Ireland Phone/Fax: (353)1-6335113 > PO Box 8630, Austin TX 78713, USA mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > > RMD1000626042546p3 >
