Quill
  1. Overview: Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)
  2. Full Record: Northern Ireland Downing Street Joint Declaration (1993)
  3. Committee:Prime Minister-Taoiseach Meetings
  4. Friday, 03 December 1993, at 17:10

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.

Prime Minister-Taoiseach Meetings

This committee has been created to model meetings between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach.

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Session 21951: 1993-12-03 17:10:00

The Taoiseach indicated that the Irish delegation had considered the British amendments and still felt they upended the balance of the text. Four of them in particular were dealbreakers. After some intense back and forth on the necessity of the constitutional guarantee, it was agreed that Robin Butler and Dermot Nally would go through the text in detail before Brussels. Both sides threatened to issue a unilateral declaration if agreement were not reached.

Membership (at session start):

Graham Archer, David Blatherwick, Robin Butler, John Chilcot, Tim Dalton, David Donoghue, Noel Dorr, Fergus Finlay, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Pat Hennessy, Douglas Hurd, Roderic Lyne, John Major, Martin Mansergh, Patrick Mayhew, Frank Murray, Dermot Nally, Albert Reynolds, (Robert) John Sawers, Joseph Small, Dick Spring, Jonathan Stephens, Paddy Teahon, Quentin Thomas, C Ó hUiginn, Seán Ó hUiginn (26 total)

Representing 2 delegations:

British Government , Irish Government

Imported Documents

Imported Amendments

Exported Documents

Exported Amendments

Resources (23):

Resource Collections (0):

None

Resource Items (23):

Brief Summary Record of the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993 - (file)

A letter from Roderic Lyne to Jonathan Stephens giving a brief two-page summary of the fairly contentious Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993. which goes through the different meetings that were held and briefly states the conclusions they came to. It was agreed to discuss the text of the Declaration further during a Butler/Nally meeting to be held on 6 December 1993.

Comment on the Outcome of the Anglo-Irish Talks of 3 December 1993 - (file)

Comments on the outcome of the 3 December 1993 talks, including an assessment of the reaction of Irish officials and press. Highlighted.

Draft Joint Declaration (23 November 1993 Draft as Amended on 3 December 1993) - (file)

Photocopied draft Joint Declaration by Reynolds and Major, containing eleven paragraphs, with extensive handwritten comments by Nally dated 3 December 1993. Further includes a typescript paragraph dated 3 December 1993 with a note stating that is it a substitute for paragraphs 10 and 11 of the 23 November 1993 draft.

Draft Joint Declaration (3 December 1993 with British Amendments) - (file)

Photocopied draft Joint Declaration by Reynolds and Major, containing eleven paragraphs, marked “Draft considered at talks in Dublin Castle on 3 December 1993. UK amendments, as proposed, are in square brackets and underlined”. Some highlighting.

Draft Joint Declaration (3 December 1993 – Roderic Lyne Draft) - (file)

Photocopied draft Joint Declaration by Reynolds and Major, containing eleven paragraphs with a new paragraph 10, marked Rod Lyne draft. Includes British Government amendments tabled for 3 December 1993 with annotated commentary by Nally.

Draft Joint Declaration (3 December 1993) - (file)

Photocopied draft Joint Declaration by Reynolds and Major, containing eleven paragraphs and marked 1A. Dated "3/11/1993" [but this indicates the document which was on the table during the meeting not the amendments as proposed during the meeting.]

Enclosure: Amendments Proposed to JD14 in Dublin on 3 December 1993 - (file)

List of amendments proposed by both Governments in the text of the Joint Declaration on 3 December 1993.

Enclosure: Record of Resumed Plenary Meeting between the British and Irish Delegations on 3 December 1993 - (file)

Provides an account of the resumed plenary meeting between the Irish and British delegations regarding the proposed amendments for the Joint Declaration text.

Handwritten Record of the Reduced Plenary Session of the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993 at 17.10 - (file)

Handwritten record of the second plenary session of 3 December 1993 Anglo-Irish summit, resumed with reduced membership. Summaries of speech, atttributed.

Joint Declaration – JD14A as Amended by Hand in Dublin on 3 December 1993 to Become JD14B - (file)

A copy of the Joint Declaration which seems to have arrived at the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993 as JD14A and then been amended by hand during the meeting to become JD14B.

Letter from Roderic Lyne to Jonathan Stephens Enclosing Records of Anglo-Irish Summit Meetings on 3 December 1993 - (file)

High-level summary of the events of 3 December 1993.

Letter from Roderic Lyne to Jonathan Stephens Regarding the Meeting between the Irish and British Governments - (file)

Provides an account of the Anglo-Irish non-Summit that took place on 3 December 1993, with John Major, Patrick Mayhew and Douglas Hurd from the British Government and Albert Reynolds, Dick Spring and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn from the Irish Government. Encloses a record of the early afternoon meeting between Albert Reynolds and John Major, and a note on the late afternoon plenary meeting between the two delegations to discuss proposed amendments in the Joint Declaration.

List of Amendments Proposed to JD14 at the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993 (Two Copies) - (file)

Two copies, both stamped to show received by DUS's office on 6 December 1993. A list of the amendments proposed by both the British and Irish delegations to JD14 on 3 December 1993. More British amendments than Irish amendments.

Prime Minister's Opening Statement [to Press Conference on 3 December 1993] - (file)

A speech headed 'Prime Minister's Opening Statement' and annotated '?3/12/94?' [sic]. Given its position within the file it seems likely to have been a draft of Major's opening statement to the press following the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993.

Programme for a Meeting between Reynolds and Major – 3 December 1993 - (file)

Programme and delegate list for a meeting between Reynolds and Major on 3 December 1993 at Dublin Castle.

Record of Resumed Plenary Meeting at the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993 at 17.10 - (file)

Record of the resumed plenary meeting at the Anglo-Irish summit, after the meeting broke up for the Irish side to consider the British tabled amendments. After consideration they still found major issues with four of the amendments. A deadlock ending in an agreement to hold a further meeting between Robin Butler and Demot Nally.

Record of Resumed Plenary Meeting of Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993 at 17.10 - (file)

Record of the resumed plenary meeting on 3 December 1993. Irish objections to the British amendments had been condensed into four points. Highlighted in pink in places.

Record of the Resumed Plenary Session of the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993 - (file)

A note for the record of the resumed Plenary session during the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993. After a break to consider the amendments, the Irish government felt that four of the amendments presented major difficulties. These were discussed further in an increasingly contentious way and both sides threatened to unilaterally issue texts of their own. It was agreed that Butler and Nally would meet to consider the text and proposed amendments further.

Summary of the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993 - (file)

Summary of the day's events, including timings.

Transcript of Joint Press Conference between John Major and Albert Reynolds on 3 December 1993 - (file)

Transcript of the joint press conference following the Anglo-Irish Summit on 3 December 1993. In the original National Archive file, the document begins at p.3 and then pp.1-2 are at the end. We have reorganized here for ease of use.

Transcript of Joint Press Conference by John Major and Albert Reynolds on 3 December 1993 - (file)

Transcription of the joint press conference given by John Major and Albert Reynolds in Dublin on 3 December 1993 after the working meeting between the British and Irish Governments.

Transcript of Joint Press Conference by John Major and Albert Reynolds on 3 December 1993 - (file)

Transcription of the joint press conference given by John Major and Albert Reynolds in Dublin on 3 December 1993 after the working meeting between the British and Irish Governments. The date on the first page is an error, and should read 3 December 1993.

Transcript of Joint Press Conference by John Major and Albert Reynolds on 3 December 1993 - (file)

Transcription of the joint press conference given by John Major and Albert Reynolds in Dublin on 3 December 1993 after the working meeting between the British and Irish Governments. The date on the first page is an error, and should read 3 December 1993.

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