February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
“Short Strand, a tiny Catholic area in East Belfast, is a long besieged community of about 3,000 Catholics surrounded by 90,000 Protestants.” The reps wrote Reid.
The letter was signed by the four co-chairs of the Ad hoc Committee for Irish Affairs, Reps. Ben Gilman, Richard Neal, Joe Crowley and Peter King.
The letter was also signed by Rep. James Walsh, the chairman of the Friends of Ireland group in Congress.
“We believe it is important for Unionist leaders, including First Minister David Trimble and DUP leader Rev. Ian Paisley, to do more to use their influence to stop Protestant violence,” the reps. Stated.
“By tolerating violence…the British government and Unionist leaders lend credence to the view that the strategy is to force the IRA to break its cease-fire be defending Catholics in the Short Strand,” the five stated.
The British Government must show its commitment to even-handedness between the two communities,” the reps said.
“For their part, Unionist leaders must show their commitment to nonviolence and their willingness to accept the concept of equality with Catholics. If these things do not happen, the Good Friday Agreement will fail to deliver on its great promise,” they concluded.