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  1. Overview: Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)
  2. Full Record: Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)
  3. Committee:Butler-Nally Meetings
  4. Tuesday, 07 September 1993, at 12:00

Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)

This project models the series of formal and informal negotiations which led to the publication, in December 1993, of a declaration issued jointly by the British and Irish Governments. The Joint Declaration was a critical policy document which paved the way for a ceasefire and the entry of Sinn Féin into formal talks. It also laid out a shared set of principles – including, crucially, self-determination for the people of Ireland subject to the consent of the people of Northern Ireland – which would come to underpin the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and provide a framework for its ratification.

Butler-Nally Meetings

This committee has been created to model meetings of the Butler/Nally Group, which was one of the key structures in the drafting of the Declaration. From Autumn 1993 onwards, Chilcot and Ó hUiginn were also part of the negotiating team working on the Joint Declaration.

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Session 17819: 1993-09-07 12:00:02

[Editorial session] Reynolds sent a letter to Major, which was circulated.

Membership (at session start):

Robin Butler, John Chilcot, Dermot Nally, Seán Ó hUiginn (4 total)

Representing 2 delegations:

British Government , Irish Government

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Enclosure: Letter from Albert Reynolds to John Major Concerning the Joint Declaration Initiative and the Prospects for and Road to Peace - (link)

Reynolds sets the scene for the upcoming meeting between Robin Butler and Dermot Nally by underlining the effort expended by the Irish government on the latest draft of the proposed Joint Declaration Initiative (JDI), and the immense possibilities and potential risks inherent in a pursuit of peace. He addresses British concerns about a lack of protection for the principle of consent (important to unionists) by saying that nationalists have accepted this. He claims that the goal of the process is stability and non-violence rather than any form of Irish unity. Reynolds therefore requests full British backing for the JDI and optimistically hopes for an agreement on the terms of an understanding at his next meeting with Major. Reynolds extends warm wishes to Norma Major (John Major's wife) at the end of the letter.

Letter from Albert Reynolds to John Major, 7 September 1993 - (link)

Photocopied letter from Albert Reynolds to John Major, marked “personal and secret”. Albert Reynolds emphasises that the draft joint declaration and proposals “have my own personal backing and inputs”. He states that “What we are all hoping to achieve is not necessarily Irish unity…within any limited timescale, but a period of stability, without violence or threat of violence…”, and urges John Major to continue to give the process his backing.

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