Reconvening of Forum for Peace and Reconciliation

The Taoiseach announced today that following consultations with the participating parties and groups, it has been decided to reconvene the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, as part of wider efforts directed at building confidence and promoting the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. A meeting of the reconvened Forum has been fixed for St. Patricks Hall, Dublin Castle at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 27 November, 2002. The meeting will conduct a general stocktaking and review of the political situation and developments in regard to Northern Ireland and of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. As indicated, this will be complementary to other ongoing activity in this regard, exemplified by the recent talks with the British Government and the Northern Ireland parties held by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

As the Chairperson of the Forum from its inception in 1994 up to date, Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness has become a Justice of the Supreme Court since the Forum last met in December, 1997, she is unable to continue chairing the Forum. The Taoiseach and the Government are extremely appreciative of the contribution made to the Forum by Mrs. Justice McGuinness, reflecting the views of successive Governments since 1994, as well as all the political parties and groups participating in the Forum. Her commitment, her independence and impartiality were the foundation for the excellent reputation achieved by the Forum and its work when it was previously active. The Government hope there will be an early opportunity, in the Forum context, to mark the outstanding role played by Justice McGuinness.

The Government have nominated Senator Maurice Hayes as Chairman of the Forum. There was unanimous agreement to this in the consultations with the participating parties and groups, reflecting the universal respect for the effectiveness, independence and commitment shown by Senator Hayes in his role as Chairman of the National Forum on Europe since October, 2001, a role he will continue to discharge for the remaining duration of that Forum. The Taoiseach is extremely grateful to Senator Hayes for agreeing to Chair at least the initial meetings of the reconvened Forum for Peace and Reconciliation.

Mr. Walter Kirwan, Assistant Secretary, Department of the Taoiseach will continue as Secretary General of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation and will also continue in that role in the National Forum on Europe.

ENDS
7 November, 2002

Forum for Peace and Reconciliation

Background Notes for Editors

This Background Note, prepared in November, 1995 by the Secretariat of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation sets out the background to the establishment of the Forum, gives its terms of reference and original composition and describes its work up to that date.

The Forum continued to meet and work on an intensive basis up to 2 February, 1996, when it held its 41^st Plenary Meetings. On that date, a leak occurred to the media of substantial extracts from a paper Paths to a Political Settlement: Realities, Principles and Requirements on which the Drafting Committee of the Forum had been working. Because of the leak and as 95% agreement had been reached on the contents of the paper, the Chairperson and Co-ordinating Committee decided to release it to the media on the same date 2 February, 1996 as the Final Paper of the Drafting Committee of the Forum.
On 9 February, 1996 the bombing at Canary Wharf in London occurred. Following consultations with participating delegations, the Chairperson concluded, reflecting the preponderant view among delegations, that all meetings of the Forum were deferred until a basis had been restored on which, consistent with its terms of reference and the basis on which it was established, the Forum could agree to meet in a fully inclusive format.
At that time, the Chairperson noted a strong wish, widespread among the participating delegations, to see such a basis as referred to above restored as soon as possible, so that the Forum could come together again to the extent necessary. Such a basis was restored in 1997, when the IRA announced an unequivocal restoration of the August, 1994 ceasefire. The Forum was reconvened and held a meeting on 5 December, 1997. Following soundings taken as to whether invitations should be issued to, and might be accepted by, the additional Northern Ireland parties that had achieved representation in the then ongoing multi-party talks in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Womens Coalition and the Labour Group in Northern Ireland accepted invitations to participate and attended the meeting on 5 December, 1997. So also did Senator Maurice Hayes who was nominated by the Taoiseach to take up the individual seat which the late Senator Gordon Wilson had filled up to the time of his death.
It had been intended that further meetings of the Forum would take place, at a much lesser frequency than before, given the demands of the multi-party talks process. However, in the event, the demands of those talks and subsequently, of election and referendum campaigns and of the efforts involved in, initially getting the institutions under the Good Friday Agreement up and running and later ensuring their continued operation and the full implementation of all aspects of the Agreement, meant that no further meetings of the Forum took place. However, the Forum has not been formally dissolved and financial provision has continued to be made for it annually in the Estimates for the Department of the Taoiseach, on the basis that, in certain circumstances, meetings could prove useful in helping to advance the full implementation of the Agreement.
Before its suspension in 1996, the Forum had published, in addition to reports on proceedings at each or its meetings, a number of studies on various relevant subjects, prepared by leading authorities and experts in the respective fields, as follows:

The Social and Economic Consequences of Peace and Economic Reconstruction by consortium of (1) KPMG Management Consultancy (2) Fitzpatrick Associates (3) Colin Stutt Consulting (4) Northern Ireland Economic Research Centre.
The Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Peace and Reconciliation in Ireland; by consortium consisting of Professor Kevin Boyle, Professor of Law, University of Essex, Dr. Colm Campbell, Director Centre for International and Comparative Human Rights Law, Queens University in Belfast, Dr. Tom Hadden, Professor of Law, Queens University, Belfast.
A Review and Analysis of Constructive Approaches to Group Accommodation and Minority Protection in Divided or Multi-Cultural Societies; by Dr. Ashjourn Eide, Director, Norwegian Institute of Human Rights.
An Island Economy Exploring long term economic and social consequences of peace and reconciliation in the island of Ireland by Professor John Bradley and associates Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin.
Obstacles to Reconciliation in the South by Dr. Arthur Aughey, University of Ulster at Jordanstown.
A Unionist Legal Perspective on Obstacles in the South to Better Relations with the North by Professor Brice Dickson, University of Ulster.
The Role of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Ireland 1922 1995 by Professor Dermot Keogh, University College, Cork.
Religious Minorities in the Irish Free State and the Republic of Ireland 1922 1995 by Professor Terence Brown, Trinity College, Dublin.
Factors affecting Population Decline in Minority Religious Communities in the Republic of Ireland by Professor J.J Sexton, Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin and Mr. Richard OLeary, Nuffield College, Oxford.

6. The Forum published two books in partnership with Blackstaff Press, Belfast

(i) Paths to a Political settlement in Ireland Papers presented to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation.

(ii) Building Trust in Ireland Studies commissioned by the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation (embracing last five items in preceding paragraph)

7. At the time of suspension in February 1996, sub-committees of the Forum had reports in preparation, as follows:

(a) Forum Comments on the consultancy study, The Social and Economic Consequences of Peace;

(b) Forum Comments on the two consultancy studies on human rights issues; and

9. In respect of all these issues, the elapse of almost 7 years means that the landscape in regard to many of the issues being treated in those draft reports has been transformed in the intervening period.

ENDS
7 November 2002