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Writing Peace: The National Archives of the UK (TNA)

Enclosure: Annex A – Alternative Language on Self-Determination

Tuesday, 06 December 1994

i23992

A note detailing various possibilities for alternative language on self-determination to be incorporated into the text of the Joint Declaration. Annex A of the briefing material enclosed with a covering letter from Quentin Thomas (above).

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ANNEX A

SELF-DETERMINATION

Alternative Language

"The British government [reaffirm Northern Ireland's statutory constitutional guarantee;] agree that the people of the island of Ireland, North and South [separately] [respectively] should be free, without coercion or violence, to determine whether a united Ireland should be established; and accordingly agree that it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone, [on this basis,] [on the basis of freely and concurrently given consent, North and South,] to exercise their right of self-determination [to bring about a united Ireland, if that is their wish]."

Note

i) the constitutional guarantee is better here, but it could go elsewhere, though it should be para 4;

ii) "separately" could be traded for "respectively" (provided the constitutional guarantee is in the text somewhere);

iii) the Irish side can be frightened by canvassing expanding the reference to the guarantee with the words in square brackets;

iv) the last 2 sets of square brackets will make the sentence much closer to JD14.

Provided the constitutional guarantee is elsewhere in the text we could negotiate down to this:

"The British government agree that the people of the island of Ireland, North and South respectively, should be free, without coercion or violence, to determine whether a united Ireland should be established; and accordingly agree that it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone, on the basis of freely and concurrently given consent, North and South, to exercise their right of self-determination to bring about a united Ireland, if that is their wish."