Quill
  1. Overview: Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)
  2. Full Record: Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)
  3. Committee:Irish Government
  4. Friday, 01 October 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.

Irish Government

This committee has been created to model internal Irish Government documents and meetings.

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Session 21029: 1993-10-01 12:00:04

[Exact time unknown] The conclusions of the Liaison Group meeting were received, along with the conclusions of an informal bilateral meeting between Quentin Thomas and Seán Ó hUiginn where they discussed JD9.

Membership (at session start):

Noel Dorr, Charles Haughey, Martin Mansergh, Frank Murray, Dermot Nally, Albert Reynolds, Seán Ó hUiginn (7 total)

Representing 1 delegations:

Irish Government

Imported Documents

  • Framework Agreement [First British Draft as Discussed in Liaison Group on 1 October 1993] (e1050698) imports from Anglo-Irish Liaison Group,
    on Friday, 01 October 1993, at 12:00
  • Reply from John Major to Albert Reynolds (24 September 1993) (e1068459) imports from Informal British-Irish Bilaterals,
    on Friday, 01 October 1993, at 12:00
  • Questions Surrounding the Joint Declaration Initiative as Discussed by Thomas and Ó hUiginn on 1 October 1993 (e1068806) imports from Informal British-Irish Bilaterals,
    on Friday, 01 October 1993, at 12:00
  • Joint Declaration: JD9 (e1068812) imports from Informal British-Irish Bilaterals,
    on Friday, 01 October 1993, at 12:00

Imported Amendments

Exported Documents

Exported Amendments

Resources (5):

Resource Collections (0):

None

Resource Items (5):

Covering Fax from Quentin Thomas Regarding a Meeting with Seán Ó hUiginn and the JD9 draft - (link)

Thomas mentions this meeting in a letter to Robin Butler on the same date. A record of the meeting with Seán Ó hUiginn and JD9 are both enclosed.

Enclosure: Draft Joint Declaration (JD9) - (link)

This incorporates changes to the wording and structure of paragraph 4. The British rejected this still largely on the grounds that there contains no constitutional guarantee.

Enclosure: Record of a Meeting between Quentin Thomas and Seán Ó hUiginn on 1 October 1993 - (link)

Thomas restated the British position on not talking to the Provisional IRA, before they delved into the Hume/Adams talks and how this might impact the joint declaration. After discussing how a ceasefire might be actually enforced, they turned to the prospect of a Permanent Irish Convention. Finally, they spoke about the differences between JD8 and 9.

Joint Declaration (JD9) As Confirmed by the Irish Government on 1 October 1993 - (link)

Difficulties would center around paragraph 4 of the document, as well as some of the more wordy sections of the document.

Letter from John Major to Albert Reynolds, 24 September 1993 - (link)

Photocopied letter from John Major to Albert Reynolds responding to Albert Reynolds’s letter of 7 September 1993. John Major states he is happy for the Nally/Butler meetings to continue and emphasises that the parallel work of the Liaison Group could be used to faciliate a further draft of the Joint Declaration.

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