LONDON : Belfast Talks Tenuous
Political talks between Martin McGuinness, a strategist for Sinn Fein, and British Minister Michael Ancram are tentatively scheduled to take place in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, on Wednesday, but they have been imperiled by a pro-Irish Republican Army demonstration planned for the previous night in Londonderry.
“I think everyone, including Sinn Fein, is mindful of the need for demonstrations to be peaceful,” said Gerry Adams, head of Sinn Fein, the IRA’s political wing. British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Prime Minister John Bruton, whose governments have broken the ice on negotiations toward a settlement of the Northern Ireland issue, have cast doubt that the meeting will take place if Irish Republican demonstrations continue.
The Ancram-McGuinness talks would be the first in 20 years between the Irish Republican group and the British government.
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