Blair 'to rewrite Northern Ireland peace agreement

[PRC-UTE]

Blair 'to re-write Northern Ireland peace agreement'
London, March 31, IRNA

UK Blair-N. Ireland
Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to fly to Northern Ireland next
Thursday to announce a new initiative with his Irish counterpart to end
the three-year suspension of Belfast's devolved assembly.

Blair is planning for assembly members to be recalled for a six- week
period starting on May 15 to discuss setting up a new all-party
executive and setting a deadline for November 24 to reach a final agreement for
the assembly to be fully restored, press reports said Friday.
According to the Guardian newspaper, the UK premier is prepared to
risk the wrath of Irish nationalists led by Sinn Fein by rewriting parts
of the Good Friday agreement in an attempt to persuade the pro-British
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to participate.
The move, which would require primary legislation, was said to be
aimed at making the assembly into a talking shop that only scrutinises
ministers.
But it is expected to provoke bitter controversy by eliminating the
executive powers laid down in the 1998 peace agreement, which Sinn Fein
insists cannot be rewritten.
The Guardian suggested that Blair was threatening to see the assembly
permanently closed and re-impose a new form of direct rule from London
if the local parties in Northern Ireland refused to cooperate.
The deadline for the restoration, it said, was aimed to reassure
Irish nationalists that the DUP, which has always been for a re-writing of
the agreement, will not be allowed to string out indefinitely a largely
toothless assembly.
The assembly, set up under the Good Friday agreement, has been
suspended since October 2002, when Unionists walked out in protest against
sharing power with Sinn Fein until the IRA was disbanded.

Link (http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0603311872174757.htm)

[The Grey Blur]

Business as usual it appears - the British and Irish neoliberals attempting to drag the DUP into dealing with Sinn Féin whilst simultaneously profiting from the sectarian divide this creates in the working class

[Dr Mindbender]

Originally posted by Rage Against The [email protected] 1 2006, 09:53 PM
Business as usual it appears - the British and Irish neoliberals attempting to drag the DUP into dealing with Sinn Féin whilst simultaneously profiting from the sectarian divide this creates in the working class
If sinn fein were the marxists they claim they are surely they would recognise their principle and not engage in the talks for the same reason.
It is a pity they cant involve the IRSP instead of SF.

[The Grey Blur]

:lol: Sinn Féin have never claimed to be Marxists, and they probably won't take part in these talks anyway, although for other reasons.

If, as you yourself have recognized, Sinn Féin and the DUP (whether through legitimate means or not) represent, respectively, the Catholic and Protestant working classes - why would replacing SF with the IRSP make a difference?

[Cheung Mo]

Cheung Mo rewrites NI peace agreement:

GTFO of Ireland, reactionary English imperialists!