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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:British Government
  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.

British Government

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Session 21406: 1993-09-24 12:00:02

[Exact time unknown] The British delegation received a report of the informal meeting between Thomas and Ó hUiginn, including the revised Irish version of the Joint Declaration (JD8) and a further revision of paragraph 4 worked up during the meeting on an informal basis.

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

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Resources (4):

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None

Resource Items (4):

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.

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

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.

Joint Declaration: JD8 - (file)

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 – 24 September 1993 - (file)

Photocopied note by 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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