     IRISH NEWS ROUND-UP
     Thursday, 22 January, 1998    


1.   Random shootings terrorise Belfast
2.   SDLP vote collapses in mid-Tyrone by-election
3.   Sinn Fein submission to peace talks
4.   Analysis: Scorn the Orange Card

     
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>>>> Random shootings terrorise Belfast
     
     
     A siege situation is developing in nationalist areas of
     Belfast as loyalist gunmen roam the city randomly
     attacking vulnerable Catholics.
     
     Another man has been critically injured tonight in a
     gun attack on a bakery in Glengormley, on the northern
     outskirts of Belfast. The seventh shooting this week
     saw two gunmen run down an entry-way to the
     Catholic-owned bakery this evening and shoot one of the
     employees.  The father-of-two was shot three times in 
     the head and side as he and his brother were closing the
     premises for the night.
     
     The bakery is in an isolated nationalist area close to
     loyalist strongholds in the north of the city.  The
     gunmen ran back down the alleyway and are thought
     to have simply run across fields to escape. Locals who
     rushed to the scene said the victim remained conscious
     after the shooting, asking bystanders "Why me? Why me?"
     Following surgery, the man's condition was described as 
     serious, but stable.
     
     Tonight's shooting follows the murder of
     father-of-three Ben Hughes in one of three separate
     loyalist gun attacks across Belfast last night. Ben was
     murdered at 6pm as he was leaving the shop jn loyalist
     south Belfast where he had worked for over thirty
     years. A lone gunman fired five times, hitting him in
     the head and chest before running away.
     
     In other attacks,  taxi driver John McFarland was shot
     and injured in the north of the city around 9pm after
     answering a call out to theDownview Avenue area.
     A masked man approached the car and fired seven shots
     before running off. Despite
     receiving a head-wound,  Mr McFarland was able to drive
     himself to the Mater hospital where his condition was
     described as 'not life-threatening."
     
     Two hours later, a third loyalist victim was shot
     several times in the body in the predominantly
     Protestant Belvoir [pron. Beever] Park Estate on the
     outskirts of south Belfast.  The shooting of the
     Protestant man is thought to have possibly been a case
     of mistaken identity.
     
     North Belfast Sinn Fein councillor Danny Lavery said
     taxi drivers in particular needed to exercise caution.
     "Mr McFarland believed that he was responding to a
     legitimate request for a taxi, when in fact he was
     lured by his would-be killers to an area of their
     choosing," he said. "Under no circumstances should a
     driver be asked to enter what might be considered a
     dangerous area unless the authenticity of a passenger
     or, as was the case last night, a telephone caller, can
     be established."
     
     The RUC police have finally admitted today that the
     death-squads of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA),
     represented at peace talks by the Ulster Democratic
     Party (UDP), are mostly responsible for the ongoing
     murder campaign in Belfast. After professing ignorance
     of the origin or motivation for recent killings in the
     city, RUC Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan moved today
     to restore some credibility to the force by blaming the
     UDA for three indiscriminate murders of Catholics in
     recent weeks.
     
     Sinn Fein today suggested the loyalist campaign is an
     effort by the UDA to prevent political change by
     building on the strongly pro-unionist peace 'blueprint'
     published by the British and Irish governments.
     
     Said Councillor Alex Maskey:  "I think that the paper
     produced last week by both governments was a reward for
     the killings and also for the attitude of David Trimble
     and his [Ulster Unionist] party.  So I think the major
     question does need to be asked, why are these killings
     taking place?"
     
     With pressure growing for the UDP to be ejected from
     the talks,  Maskey said his party would not be seeking
     their expulsion.  "While it would  be popular to have
     the UDP removed from the talks we want to see a totally
     inclusive process," he said. The UDP had a major
     responsibility to use whatever influence they had to
     stop the killings and to establish whether or not the
     UDA were prepared to countenance change "because that
     is why these killings are taking place", he added.
     
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>>>> SDLP vote collapses in mid-Tyrone by-election
     
     
     Sinn Fein is now the largest party in the mid-Tyrone
     town of Omagh following a by-election to the Omagh
     District Council.
     
     Despite a lower turnout than the May local elections in
     which Sinn Fein won six seats to the council, Terence
     Brogan increased the Sinn Fein vote from 3,856 to
     4,065.
     
     In an apparent reflection of nationalist anger at a
     recent pro-unionist document presented to the peace
     talks, the "nationalist" SDLP, which backed the
     document, saw their vote collapse from 1,605 to just
     over one thousand --  a quarter of the Sinn Fein vote. 
     The SDLP humiliation was supplemented by their third
     place result behind the Ulster Unionist Party
     candidate.
     
     Sean Begley, elected in May as the first nationalist
     chairperson of the neighbouring Cookstown District
     Council, saw the vote as a vote of confidence in Sinn
     Fein's stewardship of the peace process and a protest
     vote against the local MP, unionist hardliner Willie
     Thompson.
     
     "Thompson is a very vocal critic of the peace process",
     stated Begley.
     
     The result was hailed today by Sinn Fein's elections
     chief, Dodie McGuinness, who said the vote answered
     recent claims by the SDLP of vote-rigging.
     
     "The allegations of vote-rigging and the attempt to
     smear Sinn Fein betray a real fear in the SDLP of the
     electoral gains being made by our party. The fact
     remains that the SDLP is the only party which has been
     indicted for electoral malpractice.
     
     "Sinn Fein has publicly stated that it would support
     changes in electoral law which would maximise the
     opportunity for people to vote," Ms McGuinness said.
     

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>>>> Sinn Fein submission to peace talks
     
     
     --------------------------------------------------------
     The submission by Sinn Fein to all three strands of
     the peace talks this week
     --------------------------------------------------------
     
     
     The very existence of the process of negotiations is an
     explicit acceptance by all of the participants involved
     in a good faith engagement of the need to put the
     failures of the past behind us. There is widespread
     acceptance that the status quo is not an option. There
     can be no internal settlement.
     
     The discussions leading up to the Christmas recess were
     an attempt to incorporate the core concerns of all the
     participants into an agreed, inclusive and
     comprehensive agenda of the substantive issues to be
     resolved. Sinn Fein has stated our willingness to
     discuss all of these issues.
     
     An essential element of such an approach is to ensure
     the required parity across and between the three
     strands of the negotiations.
     
     The "Propositions on Heads of Agreement" tabled by the
     two governments does not incorporate these essential
     requirements. This is a mistake. This needs to be
     rectified.
     
     The perception of many nationalists, for instance, is
     that an assembly has been imposed as a fait accompli
     while a serious question mark hangs over all other
     issues mentioned in the limited scope of the
     joint-government paper. A particular concern is that
     this fudge extends even to matters which are in
     principle non-negotiable; issues of fundamental rights
     which are not a matter for negotiation.
     
     In summary Sinn Fein believes that the situation can be
     rectified if realities are accepted and a level playing
     field in the negotiations is provided. 
               
       * The status quo is not an option. 
       * There can be no internal settlement. 
       * The balanced agenda of issues to be resolved must be 
         inclusive and comprehensive. 
       * There must be parity across and between the three 
         strands of the negotiations. 
               
     Sinn Fein has received a significant mandate to
     negotiate. We will fulfil that mandate, whatever the
     obstacles or hurdles placed in our path. Sinn Fein has
     outlined the broad issues which we believe need to be
     addressed if the causes of conflict are to be removed
     and a lasting peace settlement found. These are;
     
     1) Demilitarisation. This can and should be acted on
     immediately. Real progress is necessary on
     demilitarisation and justice issues including; the
     release of those imprisoned as a result of the
     conflict, the presence of British troops and military
     installations, policing and Bloody Sunday, collusion
     and the many other related matters.
     
     2) An Equality Agenda, encompassing rights, safeguards
     and justice issues. In some cases action on these
     issues may require the urgent implementation of
     existing British government policy or the fulfilment of
     manifesto commitments made by it while in opposition.
     In other cases it will require going far beyond this in
     terms of policy, legislation and other measures. These
     are issues of basic human and civil rights. They do not
     require negotiation. They are non negotiable. These are
     matters which effect people's daily lives and it is
     crucial that positive change begins to impinge on their
     lives now. What is required is the urgent
     implementation of a program of measures to ensure
     political, social, cultural and democratic rights.
     
     3) Sovereignty. Sovereignty is the power to enact
     domestic legislation and to make international
     treaties. The conflict in Ireland is fundamentally
     linked to the issue of sovereignty, the British
     governments claim to sovereignty over Ireland and
     subsequently the 6 north-eastern counties of it, and
     the right of the Irish people and nation to
     sovereignty. This issue goes to the heart of the
     political difficulties we are attempting to resolve.
     
     4) The Constitutional Status of the 6 counties. This
     derives from the failure to resolve the sovereignty
     issue. Specifically, we need to remove British
     legislation underpinning the union, i.e. the Act of
     Union 1800, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and the
     Northern Ireland Constitution Act, 1973.
     
     5) New Arrangements arising from the resolution of the
     sovereignty and constitutional issues. In Sinn Fein's
     view the most efficient and logical model is a unitary
     state, with a central government and under this the
     maximum decentralisation of powers to local democratic
     structures. We have proposed a system of regional
     councils with further decentralisation below these. It
     is our firm opinion that a 6 county assembly is neither
     necessary nor desirable, particularly given the history
     of unionist abuse of power under the Stormont
     Parliament, and the contemporary evidence that this
     abuse would continue, most graphically illustrated in
     the experience of nationalist councillors in every
     unionist controlled district council.
     
     Our particular view of how all these issues should be
     resolved is contained in the papers we submitted on the
     various agenda items since September 15 last year.
     
     In these negotiations Sinn Fein will continue to
     rigorously assert national and democratic positions and
     objectives. If the two governments seriously believe
     that their propositions meet the criteria established
     for the peace process, then they need to show that this
     is the case.
     
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>>>> Analysis: Scorn the Orange Card
     
     By Laurence McKeown
     
     
     David Adams of the UDP, speaking on the radio this
     week, raised the possibility that perhaps people
     have been under-estimating the strength and breadth of
     organisation of the LVF.
     
     This followed the killing of Larry Brennan on the Ormeau
     Road, Fergal McCusker in Maghera, Terry Enright in the
     city centre, Samus Dillon in Dungannon and Ed Treanor
     in the Oldpark. Come on ahead David, who are you trying
     to kid? Everyone from Ronnie Flanagan to the dogs in
     the street knows the LVF is rural-based, primarily in
     mid-Ulster where they no doubt killed Seamus Dillon,
     with some members in South Down and North Antrim. The
     entire command of the LVF in Belfast could hold their
     meetings in a phone box. So it doesn't take a genius to
     work out who's behind these killings.
     
     However, it doesn't do to say that because your party
     might have difficulty remaining in the talks. Not that
     I would like to see you put out of the talks; I think
     it better your party is there than left outside. And of
     course Mr Trimble will ensure that you do remain. After
     all, that is the unholy alliance that has been made,
     isn't it? Unless and until, of course, Mr Trimble can
     form an alternative arrangement with the SDLP. He's
     been trying for long enough and I'm sure was fairly
     optimistic before Christmas that Seamus Mallon was
     finally going to grant him this wish. I've no doubt
     that at that point he would have washed his hands of
     you, and your prisoners also.
     
     Maybe you should ask Mr Trimble to detail his party's
     contribution to the debate on prisoner releases at
     Stormont as part of the confidence building measures?
     Seeing as how he feels so concerned for their welfare.
     I believe he spent most of his time attacking the
     proposals put forward by the other parties and had
     nothing to offer from his own party. (They left the
     rope at home.) I know that sort of conflicts with the
     image of the high-powered delegation from the UUP which
     visited the UDA/UFF prisoners in the Kesh  a
     delegation that would not have been out of place on the
     steps of Downing Street. But then, when has
     inconsistency bothered Mr Trimble?
     
     But you see, David, alliances of convenience have a
     dreadful history of ultimately collapsing. On the other
     hand, the tactic of 'no claim, no blame' has a shelf
     life. What then of the UDP? Personally, I sympathise
     with you if you have to conduct a political analysis of
     the way forward with those 'whose thinking your party
     is said to have an insight into'. I thought the mural
     that Johnny Adair stood under for the cameras summed up
     their thoughts on the situation, as it was meant to,
     'Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out'. That is their
     thinking after all, isn't it? You've got a handful on
     your plate there, David.
     
     The problem is, and you should point this out to them
     (preferably from a distance, for your own safety), they
     can't kill us all. It's fantasy land. I know that at
     times like this there is fear in the nationalist
     community given the random nature of the killings. But
     there is also anger. More importantly, there is
     determination, clear thinking, political awareness of
     what is happening and why, and a conviction that it
     will not be allowed to succeed.
     
     We're not living in the 60s now David, or even the 70s
     when the Orange Card being played meant the game was
     over, the takings collected. Now when its produced it's
     instantly recognised as an Orange Card, and that's no
     good if you're trying to call a bluff, or ill-prepared
     for what cards your opponents might hold.
     
     There's too many have been playing the game for too
     long now to be put off by sleight of hand, or mock
     gestures, or threats. In fact, it has been played so
     clumsily this time it's almost embarrassing. If we were
     to avert our gaze for a moment would you retract it? Or
     should we just rip it up so it can't be played again?
