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.

To see the full record of a committee, click on the corresponding committee on the map below.

Session 17820: 1993-09-10 12:00:03

[Exact time unknown] The Butler/Nally Group met to discuss JD6. The British delegation made it clear they would not get into drafting, but suggested that the Framework document that the Intergovernmental Conference had mandated the Liaison Group to produce should be used to produce text which could then be imported into a further Irish draft of JD6. Nally and Ó hUiginn agreed to take this proposal to the Taoiseach.

Membership (at session start):

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

Representing 2 delegations:

British Government , Irish Government


Imported Documents

  • Resolution to Mandate the Liaison Group to Create a Joint Framework Document (e990051) imports from Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference: Plenary Sessions,
    on Friday, 10 September 1993, at 12:00
  • Resolution to Use the Language from the Joint Framework Document to Solve Paragraph 4 (e990054) imports from British Government,
    on Friday, 10 September 1993, at 12:00

Imported Amendments

Exported Documents

  • Resolution to Use the Language from the Joint Framework Document to Solve Paragraph 4 (e990054)
    • Imported by 'Resolution to Use the Language from the Joint Framework Document to Solve Paragraph 4' (e990070) in Irish Government,
      on Friday, 10 September 1993, at 12:00
    • Imported by 'Resolution to Use the Language from the Joint Framework Document to Solve Paragraph 4' (e990097) in Prime Minister-Taoiseach Meetings,
      on Friday, 10 September 1993, at 12:00
    • Imported by 'Resolution to Use the Language from the Joint Framework Document to Solve Paragraph 4' (e990098) in Informal British-Irish Bilaterals,
      on Friday, 10 September 1993, at 12:00

Exported Amendments

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