Quill
  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. Tuesday, 28 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 21149: 1993-09-28 12:00:01

[Exact time unknown] Ó hUiginn telephoned Thomas to convey an updated version of paragraph 4.

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

Imported Documents

Imported Amendments

Exported Documents

  • Updated Paragraph 4 (28 September 1993) (e1053777)

Exported Amendments

Resources (2):

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None

Resource Items (2):

Enclosure: Revised Paragraph Four of the Joint Declaration Conveyed by Seán Ó hUiginn to Quentin Thomas via Telephone - (file)

Transcription of the proposed Irish changes to paragraph 4 of draft 8 of the Joint Declaration document. Taken down by Quentin Thomas over the telephone. Includes the replacement of "joint North/South consent" with "concurrent North/South consent" and the removal of a reference to "unity", two changes welcomed by the British as positive signs of Irish cooperation.

Record of a Phone Call between Quentin Thomas and Seán Ó hUiginn - (file)

Details Irish confusion over the nature of John Hume's 'report' to the Irish government following his talks with Gerry Adams and requests British support/advice prior to upcoming questioning on that front in the Dail. Thomas outlines Seán Ó hUiginn's proposed changes to the joint declaration, which he did not comment on during the call. Thomas expresses concern over a lack of reference to a 'constitutional guarantee' and asserts that the new paragraph 4 is unnacceptable, but notes the engaged and positive nature of the Irish position.

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