Sinn Fein Welcomes "New Beginning" Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source: "Jay Dooling" News from the wire services re: Ireland & Irish Americans PA 09/27/97 13:20 Sinn Fein Welcomes `New Beginning' PA 09/27/97 09:47 Unionists Urge SDLP To Rejoin Forum Talks **************************** Sinn Fein Welcomes `New Beginning' PA 09/27/97 13:20 Copyright 1997 PA News By Chris Parkin, PA News Moves this week towards negotiations on the future of Northern Ireland were welcomed tonight by leaders of the IRA's Sinn Fein allies. The party's national chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin described developments as a new beginning in the search for peace. Speaking after a Dublin meeting of Sinn Fein's policy-makers, Mr McLaughlin said: "The Ard Chomhairle (executive) welcomed the commencement of all-party peace talks next week. "This is a new beginning in the search for peace in Ireland. "Sinn Fein is looking forward to the opportunity through these talks of changing Britain's policy in relation to partition and British involvement in Irish affairs." Mr McLaughlin added: "The talks themselves must be anchored by a programme of confidence-building measures which will address the issues of political prisoners, justice, policing and equality." **************************** Unionists Urge SDLP To Rejoin Forum Talks PA 09/27/97 09:47 Copyright 1997 PA News By Ian Graham, PA News The Ulster Unionist Party today called on the SDLP to resume their places in the Northern Ireland Forum which they pulled out of within weeks of its opening last year. Ken Maginnis MP, the Ulster Unionist security spokesman, said there was no point in having a body in which unionists talked to themselves. He said an SDLP return would be an appropriate response to his party's actions in recent days in taking their seats in the multi- party talks andclearing the way to full scale negotiations next week. "We need the SDLP there (the Forum), we say it publicly that we need you," said Mr Maginnis. But the SDLP said there was no way they would be back in the Forum. Mr Maginnis, speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme, said it would be good for the parties to show that they could get down to discussing such issues as education, health and agriculture. In a direct appeal, he said: "Have you not got that responsibility now, and is that not an adequate or appropriate reciprocation for what happened with the Ulster Unionists in the talks?" But the SDLP's Mark Durkan, speaking on the same programme, said his party would not change its mind. "I don't see why we should, the Forum is due to end in May of next year - that is its shelf life. "In terms of what the Forum does, it isn't sticking at all to what the legislation which set it up said it would do. It is behaving as a Fisher-Price Parliament." He added that with the Rev Ian Paisley's DUP and the UK Unionists now outof the multi-party talks process they were using the Forum to "frisk and shake-down" the Ulster Unionists about what was going on in the talks. :: Meanwhile Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble is preparing for a visit to Washington next week and a possible meeting with President Clinton. Accompanied by his deputy leader, John Taylor, MP, and Jeffrey Donaldson, MP, he will be undertaking a media blitz and meetings with leading politicians during a four day visit starting on Saturday. A meeting in the White House has been fixed but it has not been finalised as to whether it will include talks with Mr Clinton. Later in the month Mr Trimble has his party conference at which he is likely to face criticism from those within the ranks - including East Tyrone MP William Thompson - about the decision to take the party into the multi-party talks with Sinn Fein. A few days later the Ulster Unionist Executive, which gave him the green light for continued participation in the talks, meets to review strategy. ------- Jay Dooling (jdooling@worldnet.att.net) Irish Aires - 90.1FM KPFT in Houston http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Irish_Aires/homepage.htm Dooling & Mabe, CPA http://www.doolingmabe-cpa.com/ ------------- ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-09.30.97-01:31:10-26385