Quill
  1. Overview: Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)
  2. Full Record: Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)
  3. Committee:British 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.

British Government

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

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Session 21030: 1993-10-01 12:00:04

[Exact time unknown] The conclusions of the Liaison Group meeting were received, along with the next Irish draft of the Joint Declaration (JD9) and the conclusions of the bilateral meeting between Quentin Thomas and Seán Ó hUiginn.

Membership (at session start):

Michael Ancram, Kenneth Baker, Tony Beeton, David Blatherwick, John Blelloch, Ian Burns, Robin Butler, John Chilcot, David Cooke, Jim Daniell, Timothy Daunt, John Deverell, William Fittall, David Gillmore, Christopher Glyn-Jones, Richard Gozney, Douglas Hurd, Roderic Lyne, John Major, Jonathan Margetts, Peter May, Patrick Mayhew, John McConnell, David McIlroy , Danny McNeill, R. O. Miles, Anthony Pawson, Christopher Prentice , Stephen Rickard, A W Stephens, Jonathan Stephens, Quentin Thomas, Stephen Wall (33 total)

Representing 1 delegations:

British Government

Imported Documents

  • Framework Agreement [First British Draft as Discussed in Liaison Group on 1 October 1993] (e1050697) imports from Anglo-Irish Liaison Group,
    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 (e1068807) imports from Informal British-Irish Bilaterals,
    on Friday, 01 October 1993, at 12:00
  • Joint Declaration: JD9 (e1068819) imports from Informal British-Irish Bilaterals,
    on Friday, 01 October 1993, at 12:00

Imported Amendments

Exported Documents

Exported Amendments

Resources (4):

Resource Collections (0):

None

Resource Items (4):

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

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) - (file)

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 - (file)

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 - (file)

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

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