- Event type: CREATE_FROM
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.
Office of the Strand 1 Chairman (British Government Delegation)
In order to adequately reflect the role of the Chairman and his staff in re-drafting documents and controlling the flow of information during bilateral negotiations, we are representing them as a separate committee. In contrast to other Quill negotiations, in these Talks much of the actual work of negotiation and making proposals took place in bilateral meetings between the Chairman and the party delegations. The minutes of these sessions have been preserved in the same format as the minutes of the plenary sessions, and the sessions are modelled from the minutes as separate Committees (British Government/Alliance Bilaterals, etc.). The Chairman would move between these meetings, reporting on the positions of the other delegations and trying to reach accommodation. It is beyond the scope of the current project to model all the internal government meetings which took place during the Talks (although documentation for at least some of them exists in the National Archives), but we can draw on evidence within the sources we are using to show that proposals and agendas for the bilaterals were agreed within the Government team. For example, in a particular round of meetings, the Chairman will open the meeting with a near-identical agenda and summary of the current position of the other parties. To adequately model the fact that the flow of ideas between the delegations was filtered by the Chairman in this way, we have set up a committee called the 'Office of the Chairman' to show the conclusions of each bilateral discussion passing through the Chairman's Office and being redrafted before being passed on to the next delegation.
To see the full record of a committee, click on the corresponding committee on the map below.
Session 12474: 1991-05-08 07:00:00
Conclusions from bilateral meetings on 7 May and 8 May are considered and compiled by the Chairman before being presented to the other delegations.
Document View:
Conclusions of Meeting with the Unionist Delegation at 16:23
Conclusions of Meeting with the Joint Unionist Delegations on 8 May at 16:23
Government Proposal:
At the conclusion of strand one in Belfast the next stage of the process would be launched in London as strand two but be designed only as a transitional or temporary stopping off point before returning to NI and operating outside the bounds of the Stormont Estate; strand two would be signed off at a meeting in Dublin. There would then follow the first meeting of strand three, in the Republic's capital - thus allowing the Unionists an initial opportunity to put proposals, as they had publicly stated previously they would do, to both Governments.
Strand 2 would not move from the NI location to Dublin unless essential agreement was reached. The meeting at the end of Strand 2 in Dublin would be in the form of a short assembly to agree conclusions reached before moving directly into Strand 3.
Initial Unionist Reflections on the Proposal:
The Unionists might not object to the Irish Government attending meetings at Stormont, and the Dublin location should be the British Embassy.
Initial Unionist Reflections on the Proposal:
The Unionists might not object to the Irish Government attending meetings at Stormont, and the Dublin location should be the British Embassy.
In response, potential locations within NI for Strand 2 were named by the Minister of State as the Harbour Commissioners' premises and Cultra Manor.
Strand 3 Arrangements:
The DUP wished this strand to meet only in Dublin. Practically, the UK Government believed that Strand 3 would need to meet in both London and Dublin.
Nothing is Agreed Until Everything Is Agreed:
The purpose of Strand 3 was to address relations between London and Dublin. However, a total package between all the participants could not be agreed until everything was agreed. This should offer reassurance to the parties that their interests would be reflected in this part of the process.
Decisions yet to be taken
- Conclusions of Meeting with the Unionist Delegation at 16:23 (introduced on 1991-05-08 07:00:00 - CREATE_FROM - e824255) [This document]
Document Timeline
- Conclusions of Meeting with the Unionist Delegation at 16:23 (introduced on 1991-05-08 07:00:00 - CREATE_FROM - e824255) [This document] [view current proposal at this moment]