Irish Must Struggle On for Peace

Back in May of 1998, when the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland voted to support the so-called Good Friday agreement, politicians on all sides created a cheerful sense of anticipation. Not only would peace last, but the political process to create an independent government was moving in the right direction. Now, a bumpy ride toward that goal has halted altogether, stopped by Protestant and Catholic leaders’ mutual mistrust and recriminations.

The Irish Republican Army’s deplorable decision Tuesday to withdraw its representative to the disarmament commission, along with the feebleness of its latest proposal on laying down arms, runs contrary to the expectations raised by the leaders of Ulster’s major political parties and the British and Irish governments. A statement by the outlawed IRA blames Protestant unionist forces for conditioning the political process on full IRA disarmament, and there’s no denying that the unionists, led by David Trimble, have driven as hard a bargain as possible. Britain’s decision last Friday to suspend the power-sharing process and take back control of the government followed the IRA’s refusal to commit fully to laying down arms. The IRA responded Tuesday by quitting the game altogether.

When Trimble and Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein, the political arm of the IRA, signed the Good Friday agreement, the pursuit of peace appeared sincere. Working against it was the worry that both had a serious problem managing the forces they represented.

The Northern Ireland peace process has ridden along the edge of a cliff for nearly two years. Unless full-out fighting resumes, there remains a hope of salvaging it; Trimble, Adams and British and Irish leaders have no choice but to keep trying.