Taken from The Southern Star published on July 28th 2001

“The people of Ireland voted overwhelmingly for that Agreement. There is a democratic imperative that it be implemented in full,” declared Sinn Féin’s Mr. Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland Minister for Education, at the slightly belated 80th anniversary commemoration of the Crossbarry ambush last Sunday evening.

And, he insisted, “There is no alternative to the Good Friday Agreement; there can be no re-negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement and the way forward lies in the implementation of all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement.”

Mr. McGuinness was also critical of the UUP leader David Trimble’s lack of leadership and his latest tactic of resignation as First Minister, “throwing the whole political process and its institutions into turmoil.”

This year’s Crossbarry commemoration was delayed because of the foot and mouth scare in March. However, it attracted probably its biggest attendance since the 50th anniversary commemoration 30 years ago, according to runaí of the organising committee, Mr. Sean Kelleher of Bandon. The presence of Martin McGuinness, MP, as guest speaker would also have boosted numbers this year.

The Northern Education Minister started by saying he was deeply honoured to have been asked to speak at this commemoration, given the tremendous significance of the battle that took place here on March 19, 1921, and its impact on the course of recent history.

PIVOTAL

“Despite being outnumbered by over 10 to 1, Tom Barry led his West Cork Flying Column against superior firepower and inflicted heavy casualties on the Crown Forces. This battle was to be pivotal in convincing the British that they could not militarily defeat the IRA.

“Four months later, in July 1921, a truce was called and the negotiations that followed led to the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty,” Mr. McGuinness stated.

“That treaty did not succeed in establishing full Irish freedom and sovereignty. It resulted in the partition of our country, and the ceding of the six north-eastern counties to remain under British jurisdiction. It also resulted in a bloody civil war in this part of the country and a reign of terror against northern nationalists, the effects of which are still felt today.

“The republican and nationalist people of the north have had to suffer and endure the consequences of partition ever since. But the spirit of freedom was never extinguished, even in the most difficult circumstances. Irish Republicanism sustained the demand for Irish freedom and the struggle was never defeated. That struggle was epitomised in 1981, in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh, when naked and brutalised prisoners faced the might of the British establishment with the only weapon they had left,” he said.

“Ten courageous Irishmen died in those dark seven months. Led by Bobby Sands, the prisoners inflicted a crushing moral defeat on Britain and on the inhuman indifference of Margaret Thatcher. But the cost was terrible. Ten young Irishmen died, while on the streets, many others died, some of them children killed with plastic bullets.”

“The aftermath of the hunger strike saw the resurgence of the freedom struggle, inspired by the selfless commitment of the prisoners and by a determination that such events would never again happen in our country,” the MP continued.

“From the early eighties, the primary focus of Sinn Féin has been our peace strategy and the development of a process to resolve, permanently, the causes of conflict in Ireland and deliver a lasting peace settlement.

“To that end, Sinn Féin developed a peace strategy and opened up a dialogue with a range of political forces, the Irish government, Irish/America, the SDLP, unionist opinion makers and, in secret, the British government also. The Sinn Féin peace strategy led, after much difficult and painstaking dialogue, to the development of the Irish peace process and, eventually, the Good Friday Agreement.

“This Agreement was an historic achievement that was endorsed by politicians from all persuasions and the two governments. It was ratified by the people of Ireland in referenda,” he pointed out.

“It was, and is, not a settlement. It was a compromise which was to create a new political context in which the causes of conflict could be addressed through peaceful and democratic means. For Irish republicans, it was a new arena and a new format of struggle,” Mr. McGuinness declared.

“Although the republicans and nationalists have overwhelmingly embraced the Agreement, acceptance of it by unionists was less decisive. The prospect of change and a new era of equality and human rights frightened many unionists. But the majority of the unionist community recognised that there could be no return to the days of unionist abuse and domination.

“Many, in truth, would have opposed such a prospect even if it were possible. They recognised the benefits of this new approach. That majority of unionist opinion lacked one critical element — leadership. And therein lies the source of the difficulties which have dogged this process from its inception,” he added.

FRUSTRATE

“Rather than point up the benefits of the Agreement to his community and build on the 53% support he had, David Trimble immediately set about attempting to frustrate its implementation, opposed every aspect of it in legislative stages in the British House of Commons and continuously created crisis after crisis in attempts to have it re-negotiated.

“The latest tactic deployed by David Trimble, three weeks ago, was his resignation as First Minister, throwing the whole political process and its institutions into turmoil.”

Mr. McGuinness went on to say: “It was the attempt to deal with this contrived crisis which saw the political parties and the two governments locked in intense discussion at Weston Park a week ago.

“But throughout these recurrent crises, Sinn Féin has argued consistently that there is no alternative to the Good Friday Agreement, that there can be no re-negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement and that the way forward lies in the implementation of all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement.

“At the outset of these discussions, Sinn Féin made it clear once again that there could be no re-negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement”, he reiterated.

“There was no conclusion reached during those talks and the two governments determined that they would bring forward a package that would be put in the parties."

The Sinn Féin position is clear. The positions outlined by the two governments fall far short of the Good Friday Agreement on policing, on demilitarisation, on changes to the system of justice, on equality, on human rights, on the security and integrity of the political institutions," he stated.

ELEVATED

“These issues, as well as the issue of arms, must be dealt with as outlined in the Good Friday Agreement. No issue can be elevated into a position of higher importance than all other aspects of the Agreement. And no issue can be resolved if it is approached on terms dictated by unionism.

“The issue of arms should be left with the IIDC as stated in the Agreement. It is Sinn Féin’s view that the arms issue can and must be resolved,” according to the MP.

“But, the resolution of the arms issue is not being assisted by those who misrepresent the terms of the agreement and who attempt to mislead their own constituencies and popular opinion on this issue,” Mr. McGuinness stated.

“There is a singular fixation on IRA guns that have been silent for the better part of seven years at a time when the RUC is using lethal force against republican and nationalist communities, the UFF and other loyalists are killing and attempting to kill. The threat to the Agreement comes not from the silent IRA weapons, but from Loyalist guns and bombs which are in daily use against nationalists.

“Only on Friday, Loyalists attempted to carry out mass murder at a Community Centre, housing a number of projects, including a children’s after school project,” he alleged.

“Against this background of daily attacks by Loyalists on republican and nationalist communities and attacks on the entire Agreement by rejectionist Unionists, the singular focus on silent IRA weapons is absurd and is the clearest proof that this issue is being abused by those who are opposed to the fundamental change which the Good Friday Agreement promised.

“The issue of weapons must be dealt with. The issue of weapons can be dealt with and we in Sinn Féin will play our part willingly in that process. But so too must others,” he added.

The Minister for Education for the Six Counties pointed out that “all political parties have a role to play, to make politics work and to create the political context in which all the weapons can be taken out of Irish politics.

“But the key players are, of course, the two governments, and on the most critical elements of the Good Friday Agreement, which have yet to be implemented, three years late, the British government has the primary responsibility. The package which we have been promised must deliver the new beginning to policing promised in the Good Friday Agreement.

“It must deliver demilitarisation of our society. It must deliver equality, human rights and justice. These are not just issues to be bargained with. They are the rights which we, as Irish people, are entitled to and to which we have for too long been denied,” he stated firmly.

“But, just as importantly, the people of Ireland voted overwhelmingly for that Agreement. There is a democratic imperative that it be implemented in full. The Good Friday Agreement is an integral and critical element of the Irish peace process, of the process of conflict resolution which, if it is successful, holds such promise for all the people of this island.

“It is the road map to a new future for all the people of Ireland. So the challenge is clear. The package the two governments committed to put forward must return to the Agreement.

“It cannot be re-negotiated or diluted. The Good Friday Agreement is the benchmark against which all of the Irish people must judge any proposals in the coming days,” Mr. McGuinness concluded.

The MC on the occasion was Mr. Con O’Callaghan, chairman of the Commemoration Committee, and the vote of thanks to Mr. Martin McGuinness was proposed by Mr. Sean Kelleher, Bandon.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Most Rev. Dr. Sean Brady, urged special prayers for peace at weekend Masses. He said: "The political parties in Northern Ireland will shortly consider the response of the two Governments to the recent talks in Weston Park.

"I encourage all people of goodwill to reflect on the critical stage we have reached in the peace process and to pray that God will guide all who have serious political decisions to make at this time. The longterm future and wellbeing of us all is at stake. The political progress made to date must be consolidated and built upon. The very fragile peace we enjoy at present must be strengthened," he added.

The Archbishop stated that he had requested clergy to make "this crucial situation" the subject of special prayer on Sunday, July 29.

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