British troops head to Ireland

Sources in Northern Ireland and London have confirmed that thousands of additional British forces are being quietly flown in to Northern Ireland in preparation for possible renewed violence.

The Good Friday agreement reached 15 months ago may disintegrate as the final deadline for a workable solution to a new government arrives on Wednesday. Although there is hope for a resolution to differences, it is apparent that a return to widespread violence may be imminent, according to sources who spoke with WorldNetDaily over the weekend.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern appeared at a Friday news conference in Belfast to declare progress in the talks and a plan to achieve their goals. They also made clear that success was not guaranteed.

Both men return to Belfast today and will be faced with holding together a plan for peace which numerous forces are working hard to pull apart. They said it was vital to the success of the peace talks that all parties agree to a new governing body for Northern Ireland representative of all interests and the decommissioning (disarmament) of all paramilitary arms by May 2000, which will be carried out through an independent decommissioning group.

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They made the announcement in a prepared speech and departed without taking questions from the press.

Not long after the announcement, Sinn Féin vice president, Pat Doherty, presented a statement to the press expressing cooperation. He welcomed the statement from the two leaders and stated the requirements put forward "can resolve the impasse if there is the political will." Sinn Féin generally represents the views of the nationalist community.

Loyalists, the opposition to the nationalists, have continued to insist that the IRA must disarm immediately without mentioning the need to disarm loyalist paramilitary groups. The impasse may derail the Belfast talks.

Loyalists are represented by the Ulster Unionist Party, headed by David Trimble.

Separate Sinn Féin sources told WorldNetDaily that not only couldn't Sinn Féin guarantee decommissioning, but IRA officials also could not make such a guarantee. There are too many splinter groups who are concerned about continued loyalist violence against nationalist individuals and are hesitant to surrender their arms, according to the sources.

An annual parade, which began nearly 200 years ago, now threatens efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Despite pleas to cancel the event, some religious leaders seem to have deaf ears.

Recent violence by Protestant loyalist forces have marred the efforts. Now the Orange Order insists on conducting hundreds of marches all over Northern Ireland, marches that have in past years led to violence.

The Anglican Church of Ireland has asked the Drumcree Parish Church to rescind their 190 year standing invitation to the Portadown Orange Order Lodge to march to their church for services next Sunday. The church has continued to state that anyone is welcome to attend.

The march has not been a peaceful event. Orange Order marchers have taken their procession through Irish nationalist neighborhoods and have incited violence.

Even the Presbyterian moderator, Dr. John Lockington, has sent a letter to all Presbyterian churches and urged all Orangemen to stay away from the Drumcree parade. Orangemen were asked to stay in their own local church and pray -- all day.

July is the time of year when hundreds of Orange Order parades take place all over Northern Ireland. Catholics and nationalist groups usually hold protest marches and rallies. There have been many outbreaks of violence when opposing groups meet each other, even with large numbers of security forces present.

Many are concerned that the potential exists for more violence this year.

It was 15 months ago that the Good Friday agreement was signed and work began to establish a new government in Northern Ireland with representation from all factions. The deadline to complete that work is now only hours away, and extremists seem determined to undermine the effort, according to concerned nationalists who spoke with WorldNetDaily over the weekend.

The sticking point in the talks seems to be the issue of disarmament. The debate is being aimed at Sinn Féin, the political party most often associated with the Irish Republican Army. There are actually many paramilitary groups on both sides of the troubles. There are numerous splinter groups, all of which are out of the control or influence of Sinn Féin.

Despite this, Sinn Féin is being asked to agree to a plan to disarm the IRA by May 2000. Ulster Unionists are demanding that the disarmament be immediate. Sinn Féin continues to caution everyone that they are not in control of any paramilitary group and could not bring about disarmament.

What hangs in the balance is the future of Northern Ireland and all its people. The economic benefits of peace and stability in government should be sufficient incentive alone for all parties to bring about a favorable solution. Hatred and the traditions of their fathers continue to stand in the way.

Sinn Féin's negotiator at the Belfast talks is Martin McGuinness, who has been reported in the British press as being prepared to use his influence to bring about decommissioning, but he has also made clear that all parties must do the same. He said it was not the sole responsibility of Sinn Féin to bring about the disarmament of the various parties involved.

British Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble has put forth a challenge to Sinn Féin to openly declare that the IRA will completely disarm by May 2000, with "no ifs, no buts, no excuses," he said on a BBC news program Friday.

"That is what is necessary to save this agreement. Because if that is not forthcoming I do not believe that this agreement can survive much longer," Trimble concluded, who is also the MP of Portadown where the Orange Order march will begin. Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party is in direct opposition to the nationalists.

Meanwhile, loyalist extremists continue to conduct acts of violence and use the Orange Order marches to try and intimidate the Catholic community.

The London Sunday Telegraph reported a rather dramatic turn of events. That paper made a front-page claim that McGuinness is about to make a pronouncement that "the war is over." The IRA brought independence to Ireland in 1921, but England held on to six Irish counties in the north. The IRA has claimed to be at war with England over independence, as well as civil and human rights issues.

A spokesman for Sinn Féin claims there are no such plans. Phone calls to contacts in Ireland over the weekend revealed that there is no substance to the claim, at least not that Sinn Féin officials are aware of. A spokesman for Sinn Féin appeared on BBC television and denied the claim that a "war is over" statement would be issued.

Trimble has not called upon his own constituents in the Orange Order to cancel their planned march to Drumcree, nor has he challenged loyalists to disarm in the direct manner in which he has challenged nationalists to do so.

The Portadown Orangemen have refused to meet with any officials, have engaged in numerous protest parades in Portadown, and have remained insistent that they conduct their march as planned. The members of the Orange Order have taken an oath to destroy Catholics. The order is named after William of Orange who did just that many hundreds of years ago.

If the parade takes place, observers say it is likely that the Orangemen will incite violence, if not during the parade in response to it. If the parade is banned by government agencies, it is likely that upset Orangemen will use it as a rallying cause for violence and protests throughout the country. Sources say their only hope is for the Orangemen to voluntarily withdraw plans for the parade, and take the advice of church officials and spend the day in their own church praying for peace.

One group has pointed out the economic benefits to a resolution of the troubles in Northern Ireland. The influential Group of Seven is made up of business leaders and trade union leaders who have asked the politicians put their differences aside and do what is right and best for all.

Monica McWilliams of the Women's Coalition has warned on Irish radio that the chance of political progress will not come again if it is lost now.

Meanwhile President Bill Clinton has stepped forward on the issue as well. At a press conference in Washington last week, Clinton said he would do whatever he was asked to do to help save the Good Friday agreement from collapse, perhaps a hint that he will not act unless invited to do so.