JR talked with the press officer of Ireland’s pro-independence party Sinn Fein about the new Prime Minister of that British province.
By:
Luis Luque Álvarez
A
CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann. Original: There’s been certainly no shortage of bad news in Northern Ireland in the last 90 years. Under British rule, even after the rest of the island gained independence in 1921, the territory became a hotbed of conflicts between statehood partisans –mostly Protestant descendants of English and Scottish settlers– and the pro-independence supporters –mainly Irish Catholics– whom they discriminated against. Once it was plain to both sides that neither would reach its goals by force, they gave politics the right of way and, in 1997, signed the St. Andrews Agreement and set up common governance, headed since May 2007 and until this week by Ian Paisley, the "hard-line" Protestant minister and Democratic Unionist Party leader who managed against all odds to be on good terms with his second-in-command, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness, whose goal is to reach independence and integrate the province into the Republic of Ireland. Now Peter Robinson has taken over. Previously a stubborn enemy of negotiations, he eventually bowed to good sense and understood that there will be no peace without dialogue. JR talked briefly by e-mail about the new situation with Dominic Doherty, Sinn Fein’s press representative: "How does Sinn Fein assess the outcome of a year-long shared government with Reverend Paisley?." "We believe the Paisley-McGuinness mandate was successful in that it strengthened the autonomous institutions and helped build confidence among various political positions." "What does Robinson’s appointment as Primer Minister mean to the cooperation with Sinn Fein?" "These are obviously different personalities, so the Robinson-McGuinness equation will be based on joint work rather than great cheerfulness. As McGuinness said in his inauguration ceremony, «the honeymoon is over; it’s time to work for the people and honor the commitments made by all parties." "Your Party’s views in this regard?" "Sinn Fein will keep after its political objective, regardless of who’s at the head of the DUP. We will strive to fulfill our program as we’re expected to, and let the people be our judge when the next election is called. By then, I think, the people will once again support Sinn Fein’s agenda in greater numbers." ---ooOoo--- |
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