(17 Mar 1995) English/Nat
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has been addressing the National Press Club in Washington ahead of his second meeting with President
Clinton at the White House today (Friday).
The leader of the IRA's political wing announced that Sinn Fein and British government officials have moved towards agreeing on an agenda for further peace talks.
Throughout this week, Gerry Adams has constantly spoken of his belief that direct talks with the British government would take place very soon.
Last night it was reported that the U-S Government has offered its services as a neutral, honest broker to oversee the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons in Northern Ireland.
Today Gerry Adams confirmed Sinn Fein and the British government had taken another major step towards direct dialogue.
SOUNDBITE:
We wish to engage in substantive, serious and comprehensive discussions with British ministers on all relevant issues.
A serious and substantive exploration of these issues and a constructive discussion of them can only be accomplished in dialogue with British ministers, in other words, can only be established in dialogue with policy makers.
I am pleased therefore to announce that we have moved to a discussion of the agenda's for meeting between Sinn Fein and British ministers. These meetings will take place sooner rather than later, and this is my firm conviction.
SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein
The discovery overnight of an I-R-A style bomb in the Northern Ireland border town of Newry was dismissed by Adams as a British dirty tricks operation, that had nothing to do with the I-R-A.
SOUNDBITE:
I am quite certain and sure that the IRA was not involved . It's unlikely that the IRA would maintain for the last half year a cessation with only one breach and then on the day I meet President Clinton, that the IRA would see some military purpose in placing a dud bomb.
It's patently an operation which didn't involve Republicans, and whose purpose was to divert the peace process, and I think all of us who are committed to the peace process must defy those who were engaged in that operation and move the peace process on.
SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein
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