Northern Ireland Begins Talks on Political Future

Historic talks on the political future of Northern Ireland began Tuesday in Belfast’s Stormont Castle involving rival Protestant and Catholic leaders in the violence-torn province.

The talks, scheduled to last 10 weeks, include officials of the Irish Republic and leaders of parties representing Northern Ireland’s Protestant majority and Roman Catholic minority. Two predominantly Catholic parties took part in Tuesday’s opening round.

Excluded is Sinn Fein, the political arm of the outlawed Irish Republican Army, because of its support for the sectarian violence that has left nearly 3,000 people dead since 1969.

The talks are the work of Britain’s minister for Northern Ireland, Peter Brooke, who surprised many by persuading Protestants and Catholics to sit at the same table to talk about the future of the province. Most of its residents are Protestant and loyal to Britain.

Participants hope that the talks, overseen by Brooke, will produce a peaceful settlement for Northern Ireland, which has been torn by sectarian fighting since 1921, when the island was partitioned into the independent Irish Republic and the British-ruled north.

“This is a very, very big day,” commented Eddie McGrady, a member of Parliament from the Social Democratic and Labor Party, a moderate nationalist Catholic group, which held the initial round of discussions with Brooke.

Later in the day, Brooke met with leaders of the centrist Alliance Party, led by Dr. John Alderdice, which has both Catholic and Protestant members.

Brooke will meet Friday with leaders of two Protestant groups--the Official Unionist and Democratic Unionist parties--who have long resisted connections with the Irish Republic and insisted on remaining united with Britain.

After Friday’s talks, all four parties will sit down for their first face-to-face meetings in at least 15 years.

All those involved have agreed not to disclose the substance of their talks, in order to keep the various proposals from being aired prematurely in the media.

The discussions are the result of 14 months of delicate maneuvering by Brooke. He described a three-phase negotiating process: first between the Ulster parties, second between the parties and Irish Republic officials and finally between Dublin and London.

John Bruton, head of Fine Gael, the largest Irish opposition party, stated Tuesday in Dublin that Brooke should be given “maximum scope” to find a political compromise acceptable to Northern Ireland’s political leaders.