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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: 1992-10-21 12:30:00
  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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Session 11498: 1992-10-21 12:30:00

Meeting between members of the Alliance Party delegation, led by John Alderdice, and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Patrick Mayhew.

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Conclusions of the Bilateral Alliance 21 October 1992

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Conclusions of the Bilateral Alliance 21 October 1992

The Alliance party have sought the meeting in order to provide their assessment of the present delicate state of play and to obtain an understanding of how the Government team is approaching the last critical phase.

Alliance party sees four main issues requiring negotiation and resolution:

- The exercise of executive responsibility in Northern Ireland (the Alliance delegation wishes to accommodate Mr Hume but are not prepared to sign up for any arrangement, such as the proposed panel, which would automatically exclude them. However, the Secretary of State suggests that Mr Hume's proposal is not feasible anyway and he should be prepared to put it aside.)

- The powers of North/South institutions (there is a sliding scale of authority on which negotiation could take place; it is not a matter of executive control.)

- Articles 2 and 3 (there is a possibility of movement on the part of the Irish Government if some form of quid pro quo could be offered.)

- Policing (there is a need to talk about the practical reality of what is being proposed rather than just about principles.)

Other concerns:

Dr Alderdice is concerned that the bilaterals with Sir Ninian might go on too long and that if the Talks collapsed the constitutional path would be undermined and the work of democratic politicians greatly devalued.

The Alliance delegation see the SDLP, in particular Mr Hume, as the main obstacle to progress towards a successful conclusion. The Secretary of State concludes that there is a clear need to work on the SDLP and to use best endeavours and skills to move them away from their current position.

The Alliance delegation expresses concern that the Unionists, who have moved a considerable way in discussion, will be left exposed if the talks fail; they should be protected.

The Alliance delegation seeks to explore what HMG has in mind in the event of a breakdown; options are explored but no conclusion is reached.

In the meantime, there is the question of how Mr Hume might be persuaded to move. There is a shared view that attempts to persuade Mr Hume to move would require careful handling; they agree that it will need both a carrot and a stick.

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