(3 Sep 1997) English/Nat
At the start of his lobbying campaign in the U-S, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said in Washington on Wednesday that he foresaw a united Ireland in his lifetime.
Adams told reporters at a news conference that Sinn Fein would be ready to negotiate when it sat down in multi-party peace talks about the fate of Northern Ireland next week.
The leader of the party that acts as the de facto political wing of the outlawed nationalist paramilitary organisation, the Irish Republican Army (I-R-A), was in Washington to meet White House National Security Advisor Anthony Lake and members of the U-S Congress.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams signalled a cooperative tone on Wednesday at a Washington news conference, coupled with confidence that Ireland would one day be united and independent.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"As Irish Republicans we want to see an end to British jurisdiction. Tony Blair says there will not be a united Ireland in the lifetime of people in Ireland, we say the exact opposite. There will be, and there should be, and there can be, a united Ireland in our lifetime and we want to talk to all the parties about that."
SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein president
It was Adams' first lobbying trip to Washington since the Irish Republican Army broke a 1996 cease-fire and subsequently renewed it in July.
Adams returned to the U-S in the hopes of garnering American participation in getting Northern Ireland's pro-British Protestant majority to sit down at the negotiating table.
He is seeking foreign support in coaxing two unionist parties who have vowed to sit out of talks with the I-R-A to join the process.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"And we especially want to see the Unionists there. We want to see David Trimble, who is consulting with sections of his supporters, who are telling us that they want him in those talks. We want to see him accepting that job."
SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein president
Adams praised the efforts of the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to smooth government relations with the I-R-A and denounced the occurrence of any further political violence.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"In fairness to Tony Blair, let me say to him and about him that he has done in a dynamic way and in a decisive way at least so far in clearing away the obstacles (HIT) that the last government put up. So the style is different, though we disagree fundamentally on the issue of the union. We see no reason why this process cannot be consolidated and why it cannot be an end forever of violence in our country."
SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein president
He tried to placate doubts that any I-R-A cease-fire should be viewed with an air of suspicion and vowed that an atmosphere of greater trust would make room for actual political progress to be made.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We accept when the I-R-A calls a complete cessation of military operations that it is a complete cessation of military operations. That then puts an enormous onus upon all of those in political leadership to consolidate that opportunity and to build upon it."
SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein president
Sinn Fein will participate in Tuesday's talks - known as the "Belfast talks" - Tuesday at the invitation of Blair's new government.
The Belfast talks will be chaired by an American - former U-S Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.
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