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Article: The temptation of Adams: is the IRA ready for peace? (Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams)(Northern Ireland)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- November 20, 1993
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ON NOVEMBER 15th, John Major offered the IRA an unmistakable olive branch, declaring that if it ended "violence for good then--after a sufficient interval to ensure the permanence of their intent--Sinn Fein can enter the political arena as a democratic party and join the dialogue on the way ahead." Mr Major's words were not entirely new. Britain has always said (and still says) that it will not talk to Sinn Fein, the political (and legal) wing of the IRA, until it renounces violence. So the implication has always been that Britain would talk if violence were abandoned.
But Mr Major's gesture took courage all the same, and meant a great deal. He relies on Unionist ...