BELFAST, August 8 (RIA Novosti), Mark Hirst – The Anglo-Irish peace process may be going through its most difficult period since the Good Friday peace agreement was signed in 1998 but Sinn Fein, the political party affiliated to the Provisional IRA, is unlikely to “walk away” from the Northern Ireland power-sharing Executive, an expert in Irish politics has told RIA Novosti.
Dr. Dominic Bryan, of Queens University Belfast said, “Sinn Fein are unlikely to blown off course in terms of a political strategy, pushing the peace process, otherwise it would make it look like other Irish Republican groups were right [not to be part of it],” Bryan told RIA Novosti.
The academic’s comments came after Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein and member of the Irish Parliament, issued his most dire warning yet on the state of the peace process.
“The political process is in trouble,” Adams said in a speech in Belfast.
“Regardless of political allegiance everyone who values a future based upon equality must become a champion for progress in their own community, in the workplace, in the voluntary and community sector, across the trade union movement, in the churches and the media,” Adams said.
Adams pointed the finger of blame at the Conservative-led British government accusing them of failing to meet their obligations under the peace deal known as the Good Friday Agreement.
“The anti-Good Friday Agreement axis within unionism, the pro-unionist stance of the British secretary of state, the refusal of Downing Street to honor its own obligations are combining to create the most serious threat to the political institutions in the north in recent years,” Adams said.
Adams said ongoing tension around the issue of parades and flag flying in the province needed to be addressed by the political representatives and the British and Irish governments.
“The British Secretary of State is contemplating conceding to another of the recent unionist demands by setting up some form of inquiry into the Parades Commission – a move that would dangerously damage the integrity of the Parades Commission,” Adams added
But Dr. Bryan told RIA Novosti that despite Sinn Fein’s obvious displeasure at the lack of progress and development in the peace process, the Republican Party was unlikely to be the first to walk away from it.
“Sinn Fein would much rather see the unionists walk away from a government in the north than do so themselves,” Bryan told RIA Novosti.
“In some ways I would argue that conflict over parades and protests is an indicator of the success of the peace process. This may seem counter intuitive, but if the 1998 Agreement is to work well then people need to be allowed to express their identities in public and that will bring with it a level of conflict that needs to be managed,” Bryan added.
The Anglo-Irish conflict, known as the “Troubles,” claimed over 3,500 lives and wounded almost 50,000 people. The Provisional IRA announced an end to its armed campaign, in July 2005.
