IRA’s Adams Carries a Message of Peace, Pluralism in L.A. Visit

Over the years, Irish Republican leader Gerry Adams has been imprisoned, wounded and condemned as a terrorist thug--considered so dangerous that the United States would not even let him set foot in the country.

But most of that seemed forgotten Friday. In Los Angeles for the final stop of a two-week tour of the United States, Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Army’s political arm, was feted, applauded and photographed.

He charmed audiences with his wit and talk of peace in Northern Ireland, one of the world’s long-smoldering trouble spots. He even signed autographs.

“We are at a very important and crucial juncture in the history of the people of Ireland,” Adams told a luncheon gathering of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council at the Century Plaza Hotel. “We haven’t got peace, but we have a momentous opportunity for peace.”

Adams’ visit to America--which included a meeting with State Department officials--followed the IRA’s Aug. 31 declaration of a cease-fire in its quarter-century guerrilla war against British rule in Northern Ireland.

Soliciting support for the peace initiative and Irish independence, Adams drew parallels between Irish resistance and political struggles around the world, from the American civil rights movement to the fight against apartheid in South Africa.

He called Ireland the first and last British colony, criticizing British leaders’ insistence on three months of cease-fire before peace negotiations can begin.

“Let’s start talking,” urged Adams, who is barred from visiting Britain and whose image and voice were until recently banned on British television and radio.

“If it works in the Middle East, why not in Ireland? If it works in South Africa, why not in Ireland? Are we Irish so stupid, are we so thick?” Adams asked to chuckles from his listeners.

He repeated the conciliatory remarks he has made elsewhere on his U.S. trip, acknowledging “the hurt which republicans have inflicted” and calling the Protestants, his longtime enemies, “my people.”

Sounding American themes of pluralism, he added: “The type of Ireland which we need is one which must reflect all the diversity of the Irish people.”

At breakfast, Adams, who turned 46 this week, spoke to hundreds of enthusiastic Irish Americans who sought his autograph and gave him standing ovations.

“I have been overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome,” Adams said of his U.S. reception. “I hope to be back.”

Special correspondent Mary Moore contributed to this story.