February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Sinn Fein chief negotiator, Martin McGuinness, was in Washington as the IRA statement was made public.
The reaction that followed the statement made his visit clearly worthwhile and served to erase the Capitol Hill chill that embraced his party in recent months.
Senator Edward Kennedy, in a statement on the Senate floor, welcomed the IRA statement.
“Hopefully, this statement means we’re finally nearing the end of this very long process to take guns and criminality out of politics in Northern Ireland once and for all,” Kennedy, who declined to meet with a visiting Gerry Adams last St. Patrick’s Day, said.
“I look forward to the final act of decommissioning, and the verification that paramilitary activity and criminality have ended, and the all-important restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Peace and violence cannot coexist in Northern Ireland, and all who care about peace and stability look forward to these final actions,” Kennedy said.
Former congressman Bruce Morrison, who was a member of the Irish American peace delegation that paved the way for President Clinton’s Irish visits, said he did not think the IRA’s step had been taken lightly, but rather was the culmination of a process reaching back 20 years.
Morrison said that a crucial part of the statement was that it withdrew political sanction for violence or lawless actions.
“Nobody can (now) claim they are acting under orders in the context of an armed struggle,” Morrison told the Echo.
“This is really a big deal, a watershed event. And it is a big deal to the republican movement because words like these are never said lightly, and are always taken seriously,” he said.
Senator Chris Dodd, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, said he too welcomed the IRA’s “comprehensive” statement.
“Violence has no place in politics, no place in negotiation, and no place in a peaceful society,” Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, said.
He expressed hope that the announcement would bring new momentum to the Good Friday agreement and the peace process.
“This announcement has the potential to finally bring true peace to a land that has long starved for stability, and I call on all those who support the Northern Ireland peace process to take decisive action to follow through on its historic promise,” Dodd said.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said the cause for peace had once again been taken up by the people of Ireland.
“The IRA’s statement is a clear signal to all parties that the political process is the exclusive way to determine Northern Ireland’s future and that will be achieved by the restoration of the devolved government that is representative of all communities.
“We in the United States should do all that we can to support the Northern Ireland peace process,” she said.
“This is an extraordinary day in the history of the Irish nation that has put Northern Ireland back on a path to a long lasting and productive peace,” said fellow New York senator, Chuck Schumer.
Representative Jim Walsh, chairman of the Friends of Ireland group in Congress, said the statement marked a significant move forward for the Northern Ireland peace process.
“The dumping of all weaponry by the IRA demonstrates full faith in the political abilities and negotiating skill of the Sinn Fein peace strategy,” Walsh said.
“It is imperative that all political parties and traditions match this measure of good faith by continuing to push this process forward.
“A shining light can be seen at the end of long tunnel, and I am proud of the role the President and this Congress have played in reaching this historic milestone,” Walsh added.
Representative Joseph Crowley, a co-chair of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, described the IRA move as momentous.
“This courageous step signifies that the fight against British rule is over and the next challenges will be fought in the political arena,” Crowley said.
“Regardless of their political or religious persuasion, or their economic condition, the people of the North of Ireland must join together to restore the devolved government to achieve the representational government they elected on November 26, 2003.
“Only when all sides who worked to create the Good Friday agreement, fulfill the promises made in this historic agreement, will a political solution be achieved,” Crowley added.
Representative Richard Neal, a fellow co-chair of Ad Hoc Committee, said the statement marked the beginning of a new, more peaceful era.
“The IRA’s groundbreaking statement is historic and unprecedented,” Neal said.
“It is testimony to the courage and leadership of Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, who challenged the IRA last April to fully embrace politics. It is clear that the Sinn Fein leadership has kept its word and honored its commitments,” Neal said.
“It is my hope that the statement will lead to both the swift restoration of the power sharing institutions in Northern Ireland and the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement,” he added.
The onus, Neal continued, now must be on the Democratic Unionist Party to face up to its commitments and work towards building a new society based on equality, inclusiveness and trust.
Representative Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, described the IRA statement as historic.
“This is a dramatic step forward to ending a long and bloody conflict that has left a trail of misery, death, and tragedy,” Engel said.
“I believe that Congress and the White House are committed to working with all sides, organizations, parties, and governments to keep moving ahead,” he added.
Representative Chris Smith said it was his greatest hope that the IRA statement was a true and final denunciation of violence and a long overdue recognition that the only way forward was through peaceful and democratic action.
“We look to see a full restoration of the suspended democratic institutions and further progress on policing reform, government accountability, and the rule of law,” the New Jersey Republican said.
In New York, Governor George Pataki also welcomed the IRA’s disarmament pledge.
“Today’s decision by the Irish Republican Army to lay down their arms is a momentous step toward peace on the island of Ireland. The only way to resolve this conflict is through the democratic process and I commend this clear and necessary statement,” Pataki said.
“I urge all parties to now come together and fully implement the Good Friday agreement, Pataki added.
Pataki’s sentiments were reflected by the lobby group, Irish-American Republicans.
“The IRA’s decision to lay down and destroy its arms is historic and brings the parties closer to realizing the full implementation of the Good Friday peace accord. We praise this critical step by the IRA, and call for the democratic institutions mandated by the Good Friday agreement — the Assembly and Executive — to be reconvened,” the group said.
And it added: “We are especially grateful for the efforts of President George Bush and his Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, Ambassador Mitchell Reiss, who have maintained America’s active engagement in the Irish Peace Process, and Governor George Pataki, who played an historic role as the first American Executive official to meet with Gerry Adams and who has consistently and firmly encouraged the IRA to give up its arms in favor of the democratic process.”
The positive reaction extended into Canada where Foreign Affairs Minister, Pierre Pettigrew, welcomed the IRA statement and noted that the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, headed by Canada’s former Chief of the Defense Staff, General John de Chastelain, would be overseeing the process of decommissioning IRA arms.
“Canada has long supported the efforts of all parties to bring peace and reconciliation to the people of Northern Ireland,” said Pettigrew.
“This decision by the IRA is an unprecedented opportunity to advance the peace process.
“We urge the IRA to move quickly to implement all aspects of this decision and all parties to cooperate in ending violence in Northern Ireland.
“Canada will continue to support the peace process through financial support to the International Fund for Ireland and through the vital work of Canadians such as General de Chastelain, former Justice William Hoyt, former Chief Justice Peter Cory and former RCMP Assistant Commissioner Al Hutchinson,” Pettigrew said.
The Irish American Unity in Action Committee, an umbrella group for a number of major Irish American organizations, said that as a result of the IRA move, the Irish and British governments had to fully implement the Good Friday agreement and take all of the guns out of Irish politics.
“The onus is now clearly with these governments to fully implement this agreement. The promise of the Good Friday agreement is change. The promise of the Good Friday agreement is equality. Irish-America demands fulfillment of the promise,” the committee said.
“The vast majority of violence against innocent civilians in the last seven years has come from loyalist paramilitary organizations,” the committee added.
“The danger from these organizations remains an every day reality. It is time to take the gun out of Irish politics altogether, including British guns and loyalist paramilitary guns.”
The UIAC includes the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Irish American Unity Conference, Irish Northern Aid and Americans for a New Irish Agenda.
In a separate statement, the IAUC said it wanted to see a quick response from Washington to the IRA statement.
The IAUC “implores the Bush administration and Congress to respond to this historic breakthrough that signals the end of thirty-five years of conflict in Northern Ireland,” the group said.