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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:Informal British-Irish Bilaterals
  4. Friday, 24 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.

Informal British-Irish Bilaterals

This committee has been created to model bilateral contact between British and Irish government delegates which happened outside of the more formal structures set up for intergovernmental negotiation. These informal meetings were sometimes crucial to the development of the Joint Declaration.

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Session 20862: 1993-09-24 12:00:01

[Exact time unknown] Thomas met Ó hUiginn again informally. Ó hUiginn handed over a revised Irish draft of the Joint Declaration (JD8). Thomas went through it with him, in a personal capacity, and made some suggestions on the language. He also handed over the first British draft of the Framework Document that the Liaison Group had been mandated to produce, for the Irish delegation to consider in advance of the meeting on 1 October 1993.

Membership (at session start):

David Blatherwick, Martin Mansergh, Patrick Mayhew, Dermot Nally, Quentin Thomas, Seán Ó hUiginn (6 total)

Representing 2 delegations:

British Government , Irish Government

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Resources (6):

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None

Resource Items (6):

Enclosure: Annex B – A Brief History of the Joint Declaration Initiative - (link)

This document provides a comprehensive account of the Joint Declaration initiative, beginning with its inception during a meeting between John Major and then Taoiseach Charles Haughey on 4 December 1991. It follows the evolution of the initiative, including discussions between John Hume and Gerry Adams, which led the Irish Government to believe that it could pave the way for PIRA to declare a permanent ceasefire. The document tracks the various discussions and drafts exchanged, particularly through channels involving Dermot Nally on the Irish side and Robin Butler on the British side.

Enclosure: Commentary by Quentin Thomas on Draft Eight of the Joint Declaration Submitted by the Irish Government and Record of Discussion with Seán Ó hUiginn - (link)

Quentin Thomas encloses a record of a meeting between himself and Seán Ó hUiginn discussing the Joint Declaration Initiative, particularly a new draft (JD8) presented by the Irish government, of which Ó hUiginn was the principal author. This conversation was a preliminary meeting to a scheduled meeting of the Liaison Group in Dublin on 1st October, where principles and language relevant to the Joint Declaration Initiative (JDI) were to be discussed. The Irish government continued to prefer the JDI to overt political development and had resolved to exclude the Provisionals until the British could be brought onboard with the document's phrasing. Discussion between Thomas and Ó hUiginn centred on paragraph 4. Issues raised by the British government included silence in the draft on: the constitutional guarantee, reform of Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution. Also problematic were references to irish 'unity' and 'self-determination for Ireland as a whole'. The Irish government remained enthusiastic about the JDI following this discussion. The important context of the talks between John Hume and Gerry Adams - and how far these involved knowledge of the JDI - is discussed in a postscript.

Enclosure: Joint Declaration Draft Eight Passed To Quentin Thomas by Seán Ó hUiginn on 27 September 1993 - (link)

Revised draft of the Joint Declaration provided by the irish government. Includes revisions which the British feel show positive commitment from Dublin towards reaching a mutual agreement. Issues still remain over paragraph four, particularly the reference to "a form of self-determination for Ireland as a whole" which would likely make constitutional Unionists feel undercut should the British government agree to this wording.

Enclosure: Joint Declaration Irish Draft (JD8) as Passed by Seán Ó hUiginn on 24 September 1993 - (link)

The latest text of the Joint Declaration (JD8) which John Hume received from the Irish government prior to his statement following talks with Gerry Adams.

Joint Declaration: JD8 - (link)

Number of draft added by hand, along with note 'Passed by Mr o'hUiginn m 24.9.'

Nally/Butler Process: Meeting between Seán Ó hUiginn and Quentin Thomas on 24 September 1993 - (link)

Photocopied note by Seán Ó hUiginn of his meeting with Thomas, in London on 24 September 1993, discussing in detail the text of a recent draft Joint Declaration. Further includes amendments suggested by Thomas to the revised [JD8] paragraph 4.

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