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  1. Overview: Northern Ireland Brooke/Mayhew Talks 1991-1992
  2. Full Record: Northern Ireland Brooke/Mayhew Talks 1991-1992
  3. Committee:British-Alliance Talks
  4. Session: 1991-05-14 16:50:00
  5. Event type: CREATE

Northern Ireland Brooke/Mayhew Talks 1991-1992

WORK IN PROGRESS - IN THE FINAL STAGES OF EDITING A series of talks launched by Peter Brooke, Secretary of State for Northern in Ireland, which began in April 1991, and were carried on intermittently by Brooke and his successor, Patrick Mayhew, until November 1992.

British-Alliance Talks

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Document introduced in:

Session 11416: 1991-05-14 16:50:00

Meeting between Alliance delegation and the British Government delegation

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Conclusions of Meeting with Alliance Party on 14 May: Practical Issues Concerning Strands Two and Three

There are 0 proposed amendments related to this document on which decisions have not been taken.

POLITICAL TALKS

Practical Issues Concerning Strands Two and Three

1. There has been extensive discussion of the venue for strand two, and other related practical questions, over the last two weeks.

2. In the light of that, with the benefit of the views expressed, and after close consultation with the Irish Government, I have decided to indicate the basis on which these talks would be held.

Clarification: The Irish Government has been consulted about the proposals and has agreed.

Strand Two

3. All meetings of strand two will have an independent chairman whose identity will be announced by the two governments after consultation with other participating parties.

Clarification: Rotating the chairmanship was not considered practicable by the Government Team. The search for a chairman would not begin until all parties had agreed in principle. No criteria for determining independence had yet been drawn up. The person chosen could be English or Irish and need not be limited to the EC member of state. Fluency in English would be necessary however. The chairman would be appointed by the two governments but it would be necessary for all the parties to be content.

The role of the Secretary of State: The Government team confirmed that the they would remain independent and would not clear their position with the other parties, but if one or other of the parties wished the Secretary of State to participate in any bilateral meeting they wished to hold, he would, in principle, agree to do so. The Unionists had sought the "UK team" concept merely in order to cover what they perceived to be their lack of locus vis a vis the Irish Government in the second strand of talks.

4. Opening plenary meeting of strand two to be held in London.

5. Bulk of substantive exchanges in strand two to be held in Northern Ireland in a location to be determined. (It will of course also be open to the Chairman and the participants to hold non-plenary meetings wherever suits their mutual convenience.)

Clarification: The location of Strand 2 talks would have to be decided during Strand 1, and could not therefore be left to the chairman.

On grounds of practicality, the chairman should be able to meet one of the parties in another location. The Alliance Delegation stressed the need to ensure that the chairman's terms of reference were not such as to facilitate too many bilateral meetings.

6. A plenary meeting of the strand two discussions to be held in Dublin towards the end of June.

Strand Three

7. While participating parties remain free to discuss strand three issues with the governments, strand three discussions will be concerned with the relationship between the two governments, and will take place between the two governments:

- other participating parties will be kept in touch with progress during strand three by regular liaison

- the two governments will meet other participating parties at their request for further discussion of strand three issues while strand three is taking place the outcome of strand three will be considered by all the participants alongside the outcome of the other two strands and nothing will be finally agreed in any strand until everything is agreed in the talks as a whole.

Clarification: The SOS confirmed that liaison arrangements were still to be confirmed, that the location of Strand 3 was likely to alternate between London and Dublin, and that any party would be free to meet either Government at any stage during Strand 3.

8. The strand one formation or the strand two formation, as appropriate, may consider issues further in the light of progress in strand three.

Clarification regarding final meeting: The Government team believed it might be necessary for the final session to be outside the three strands, but this matter had not yet been fully addressed.

Decisions yet to be taken

None

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