SAOIRSE32

BBC

Sinn Fein members have voted to support policing in Northern Ireland for the first time in the party’s history.

Gerry Adams

About 900 party members voted on the motion at a special party conference (ard fheis) in Dublin which was attended by more than 2,000 people.

Sinn Fein support for policing and DUP commitment to power-sharing are seen as essential to restoring NI devolution.

A six hour debate was cut short as the leadership forced a vote which was carried with 90% support.

The decision gives Sinn Fein’s ruling executive the authority to declare its support for the PSNI and the criminal justice system when devolution is restored and policing and justice powers are transferred to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

“You have created the potential to change the political landscape on this island forever.”
Gerry Adams

Speaking after the vote, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said the decision was truly historic.

“Today you have created the potential to change the political landscape on this island forever,” he said.

“You have created the opportunity to significantly advance our struggle and you have seized the opportunity to further our primary objective of united Ireland through the building of greater political strength.”

Mr Adams also said that republicanism and unionism had reached an historic compromise.

“If the promise and hope of the peace process is to deliver peace and prosperity, that means beginning a real dialogue, an anti-sectarian dialogue, a dialogue which will move us to a real future,” he added.

A spokesman for Tony Blair said the prime minister welcomed the “historic decision and recognised the leadership it has taken to get to this point”.

Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the ballot was a “landmark decision” which opened the way to Northern Ireland power-sharing.

He said: “It is vital that we continue to maintain the momentum from the St Andrews agreement and the timetable set out in that agreement.”

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain described the vote as a breakthrough.

“What had always been a massive impediment to stable and lasting government (in Northern Ireland) has been removed,” he said.

PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde also welcomed the move.

“Our view has always been that policing is a public service which every member of the community should be able to access on an equal and equitable basis,” he said.

“I have always said that no ideology or individual should stand between the public and that service and that the community is entitled to have their public representatives hold this police service to account.”

Professor Sir Desmond Rea, chairman of the Policing Board, said he was now looking forward to Sinn Fein joining the body.

“Full political and community support for policing will be for the benefit of the whole community,” he added.

DUP MP for East Antrim Sammy Wilson said he accepted Sinn Fein had taken a step forward.

He said: “The ultimate test of this, because there is no trust in Sinn Fein, is will they deliver on supporting policing before they get into government?

“They cannot get into government and not support the police.”

‘Massive step’

Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said the move was “a massive step change in the republican psyche”.

“It is an admission that the violent ‘cause’ has been abandoned and that Sinn Fein are prepared to support the forces of law and order in this part of the United Kingdom,” he added.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said: “They now need to sign with no ifs or buts. As Gerry Adams now accepts, nationalist areas need policing.”

Mr Blair and Mr Ahern have identified Sinn Fein support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as being crucial to persuading the DUP to share power in a devolved government with Sinn Fein by 26 March.

If an election does not occur, Stormont will be dissolved indefinitely.

The transitional assembly at Stormont will dissolve on 30 January in anticipation of an election on 7 March.

BN.ie

28/01/2007 - 14:02:58

The Police Service of Northern Ireland will have to earn the trust of republicans if Sinn Féin agrees to support it, Martin McGuinness insisted today.

Proposing a motion to Sinn Féin delegates at a special conference in Dublin to back the police in Northern Ireland for the first time in the party’s history, Mr McGuinness said: “The PSNI are going to have to earn our trust. They are not going to get our trust tomorrow morning or after this vote - they are going to have to earn it.

“We have to make them realise that they must be the servants of the people and not the other way around.”

Mr McGuinness’ speech kicked off a day of intense debate in the party on an issue which will have a major influence over whether devolved government returns to the Northern Ireland.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have pinned their hopes of achieving power-sharing between unionists and nationalists by March 26 on Sinn Féin ending its opposition to the police.

Democratic Unionist leader, the Reverend Ian Paisley has said he will share power if Sinn Féin supports the police, the courts and the rule of law and prove that by its actions in republican neighbourhoods.

Mr McGuinness said his party was facing its D-Day.

“It is decision day as Sinn Féin moves decisively forward to deliver for Ireland, for Ireland’s future free and at peace,” he said.

Sinn Féin’s chief negotiator also insisted that republicans should take charge of policing if they removed their opposition.

“I want the police to watch MI5, to spy on MI5 and to arrest MI5 when they break the law,” he said.

Sunday Life

By Brian Rowan
Sunday, January 28, 2007

Sinn Fein’s leadership will know the position of the IRA organisation before today’s historic ard fheis vote on policing.

There are increasing suggestions that the IRA will have met - possibly in a Convention - before today’s key conference, which is expected to back a motion on support for the PSNI.

On Tuesday afternoon in Belfast, the ceasefire watchdog, the Independent Monitoring Commission, will publish its latest report.

That assessment will be finalised over the weekend once the outcome of the ard fheis is known.

The Adams/McGuinness/Kelly leadership is expected to achieve a convincing victory in Dublin.

“We are going to win the vote,” a republican source told Sunday Life last night. But how convincingly, he wouldn’t predict.

On the likelihood of a secret IRA meeting before the ard fheis, another source said that would be “a reasonable assessment to make”.

“When they go to the ard fheis they will have all their ducks in a row. It (an IRA meeting) has to happen,” the source said.

Indeed, such a meeting is seen as a crucial part of the republican ” sequence of events”.

“It’s inconceivable they wouldn’t be meeting,” a source told Sunday.

What was not clear yesterday was whether the IRA leadership would speak publicly to set out its position before the Sinn Fein party conference.

But, whatever happens, the republican political leadership will know the IRA’s thinking.

Senior figures in that organisation have had an important role in the internal republican briefings leading to the ard fheis.

Adams and McGuinness will know that they have the support of the ‘army council’ and the other significant parts of the IRA leadership.

Another source said: “I will be completely astonished if things don’t go the right way (at the ard fheis). The only thing will be the size of the majority.” That majority is expected to be considerable.

In April 2005, in an address to the IRA, Adams called on that organisation to “take courageous initiatives which will achieve your aims by purely political and democratic activity”.

Since then, the IMC has reported on the ending of the armed campaign, decommissioning and the disbanding of the IRA’s military structures.

Victory in today’s conference on policing will clearly be viewed by the IMC as Adams and Sinn Fein delivering to an impressive standard.

“It’s leadership of a high order,” said a source.

The big question is: Will it unblock the political process?

How will Ian Paisley and the DUP respond?

The coming days are seen as crucial in determining the next political steps.

Today, republicans will support an historic initiative on policing - and then the political attention will switch to Paisley and his party.

Sunday Life

By Ciaran McGuigan
Sunday, January 28, 2007

When Gerry Adams arrives at today ard fheis in Dublin, he’ll be greeted by Ruairi O’Bradaigh leading a picket against support for police.

It had been O’Bradaigh, now president of Republican Sinn Fein - who led mass walkouts from the party over 20 years ago when Sinn Fein made the decision to officially recognise the Dail.

And Adams has been wary of many present day supporters turning their backs on Sinn Fein as it reaches another political watershed in the shape of policing.

There have been deep divisions in the republican movement over the support for policing.

At least five of the party’s Assembly team have been stood down or deselected, and the absence of several of those on the party’s next election ticket will be directly down to the policing debate.

Among those who have gone are Newry and Armagh MLA Davy Hyland who was deselected and Mid Ulster colleague Geraldine Dougan who quit the party over its “direction”.

However, even opponents of Sinn Fein believe that they will easily carry today’s policing vote and still hold their position at the polls come elections, in spite of the swell of opposition.

Veteran republican Laurence O’Neill, one of those who left the party over policing, said: “Those that are going to leave the party over policing have already done so. But we are in different times, when there is a large number of the party that played no part in the struggle. Their numbers will carry them through.”

Security sources have predicted that the deep divisions within republicanism will not result in a repeat of the violent bombing campaign that followed the split in 1997.

Anger at the terms of negotiations that eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement caused walkouts and resulted in the formation of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee.

Parallel resignations from the IRA resulted in the Real IRA and Continuity IRA and a campaign of dissident terror attacks, culminating in the Omagh bombing in August 1998. But in recent weeks, Adams has repeatedly urged the dissident groups away from carrying out attacks and has made offers to meet with them to discuss his policing strategy.