Sinn Fein Rally in Belfast

national | miscellaneous | press release Tuesday October 10, 2006 19:50 by Westie

Sinn Fein prepare for crucial talks with British government with major rally in Belfast

Tomorrow, Wednesday 11 October, Sinn Féin's Dublin Mid-West representative, Joanne Spain will travel to Scotland with the party's negotiating team for crucial talks aimed at restoring the power-sharing institutions in the North and securing the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Speaking before chairing a Sinn Féin rally in Belfast this evening in advance of the talks, Spain said that the time for artificial roadblocks to progress is over.

She said:

"The DUP this week has an historic opportunity to put progress and equality before triumphalism and sectarianism, but if unionist politicians persist in their intransigence they can no longer be allowed a veto on progress, The governments, particularly the British Government, have a duty to implement the outstanding areas of the Agreement.
"Whatever is the outcome of this phase of negotiations, we are not going away. My generation has grown up with the peace process but we also know that 25 years ago, republicans in Long Kesh engaged in a life and death struggle rather than be labeled criminals.
"We are very conscious of that continuity of struggle and we will not rest until we have achieved the Ireland envisioned by Tone, Connolly and Sands, a vision that inspires our generation as it has every generation before us.
"Our objective today, like theirs, is the liberation of all our people and our duty today is to play whatever part we have to the best of our ability.