Editors Note (7/28/05):  Sadly,  though we published this position statement in May 2000, nothing has changed and the arguments made remain as appropriate today as they were five years ago.  It is our great hope that with this latest announcement from the IRA that peace and equality will be achieved soon.

Mini-Convention 2000

On Saturday, May 6, 2000, Sinn Fein and the IRA leadership released a statement declaring that they are committed to a just and lasting peace. They have sustained that commitment despite the abuse of the peace process by those who persist with the aim of defeating the Irish Republicans and preserving the brutal conditions which Irish Catholics have been forced to endure far too long.

The IRA has allowed two senior international statesmen to inspect a number of its secret arms caches and report back to John DeChastelain's independent weapons monitoring body.

Once again we are witnessing a bold and courageous move by the Republican movement in an effort to break the impasse that has existed for over eleven weeks. By their statement and actions, the Republican movement has shown its determination and commitment to a nonviolent political solution of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Our National Body supports this initiative.

While the political responsibility for advancing the current situation rests with both the British and Irish governments, the British also bear the moral responsibility to bring democracy and justice to Ireland. The centuries of irresponsible stewardship weigh heavily on the shoulders of the British. The United States government, representing the interests of millions of Irish Americans and behaving as a true leader of the free world, should focus its energies on unfettered implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and justice for the six counties of Northern Ireland.

At this critical juncture it is important to note that the Unionists, under the leadership of David Trimble, continue their policy of delay and obstruction to implementation. Loyalist paramilitaries have continued to kill and terrorize nationalists throughout this period and apparently have no intention of ending hostilities, let alone decommissioning. As their demands for IRA decommissioning are met, they create new demands, further demonstrating their unwillingness to abide by the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

Never again should the people of Northern Ireland be held hostage to the preconditions of one politician or political party, as happened this last February when Peter Mandelson and his government unilaterally and illegally suspended the political institutions set up by the Good Friday Agreement.

Now is the time for all parties to recognize the commitment of Sinn Fein and the IRA by ensuring that the Good Friday Agreement is fully implemented, including the entire equality agenda, a decent and democratic legal system, demilitarization of Britain's garrison in Ireland, and a people's police service to replace the sectarian and murderous RUC. The Knights of Equity Supreme Council wholly supports the movement toward a peaceful lasting settlement of the problems in Northern Ireland. We strongly encourage our elected representatives in the United States government to bring pressure on the British government to follow through on commitments they have made and truly make peace a reality. The Irish People deserve no less.

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