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 21403: 1993-09-24 12:00:02

[Exact time unknown] The Irish delegation received the a report of the meeting with Thomas, including a revised version of paragraph 4 worked up by him and Ó hUiginn on an informal basis and the first British draft of the Framework Document.

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


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Resources (5):

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Resource Items (5):

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 - (file)

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.

Joint Framework Document: British Draft – 24 September 1993 - (file)

Photocopied [British draft of the Joint Framework Document as handed to Ó hUiginn by Thomas on 24 September 1993]. The joint working paper sets out general principles of a proposed new agreement and examines the issues of devolution; North/South institutions; intergovernmental relations; constitutional issues; endorsement.


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