- Thursday, 30 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
This committee has been created to model internal British Government documents and meetings.
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Session 21453: 1993-09-30 12:00:00
[Exact time unknown] John Major and Patrick Mayhew met in the margins of the Northern Ireland committee to discuss the Joint Declaration Initiative and ways of taking it forward.
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:
Imported Documents
Imported Amendments
Exported Documents
- British Resolution Not to Reply Substantively to JD8 (e1067269)
- Imported by 'Quentin Thomas to Relay That the British Government Remains Unable to Adopt a Substantive Approach' (e1067282) in Informal British-Irish Bilaterals,
on Friday, 01 October 1993, at 12:00
- Imported by 'Quentin Thomas to Relay That the British Government Remains Unable to Adopt a Substantive Approach' (e1067282) in Informal British-Irish Bilaterals,
Exported Amendments
Resources (6):
Resource Collections (0):
None
Resource Items (6):
Covering Fax from Quentin Thomas Enclosing a Revised British Draft of Paragraph 4 of the Joint Decration - (file)
This draft enclosed is based on some remarks made by the Prime Minister John Major regarding paragraph 4. This cotoniued to be a prpblem into later drafts of the Joint Declaration.
Enclosure: British Draft of Paragraph 4 of the Joint Declaration as Amended on 30 September 1993 - (file)
States the consent principle in clear terms.
Enclosure: Roderic Lyne's Note of a Meeting between John Major and Patrick Mayhew on 30 September 1993 - (file)
They discussed a document by John Humes and Gerry Adams handed to the Irish Government and the progress made on JD8, despite the British Government's rejection of it. This rejection focused on the importance of the consent principle. It was also agreed that approaches would be made to Jim Molyneaux of the UUP.
Enclosure: Speaking Note for Patrick Mayhew at Meeting with John Major about the Joint Declaration Initiative - (file)
Speaking note provided for Patrick Mayhew. Context that British have previously been able to deny active involvement in the Joint Declaration drafting process but may now need to be more active. This may cause friction with Molyneaux/Unionists. Assertion that the prize of peace is worth this risk and British officials should be brouht actively into the drafting process.
Enclosure: Summary of a Meeting between John Major and Patrick Mayhew Discussing the Joint Declaration Initiative - (file)
Record of British government's thoughts on the latest draft of the Joint Declaration (JD8). It was agreed that the Irish should be encouraged to improve phrasing and mandate an IRA weapons handover in order to protect Unionists in the event of an end to the ceasefire. There was also greement that the consent principle must be protected as a prelude to any Joint Declaration. It was agreed that the British would not offer the Irish government its own written amendments to JD8, encouraging them to revise autonomously.
Letter from Tony Beeton to Quentin Thomas and Jonathan Stephens Enclosing a Speaking Note for Patrick Mayhew and Commmenting on the Latest Joint Declaration Draft - (file)
Letter from Tony Benton to Quentin Thomas providing a summary of recent developments and statement of the British conviction that a suitably amended Joint Declaration would be an acceptable price for peace. Beeton notes Mayhew's position that the Irish government should be offered discreet drafting assistance.
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Events (19)
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