Republican Sinn Féin say talks process is a sell-out
Sunday, 14 November 1999 18:46
The President of Republican Sinn Féin, Ruairi O'Bradaigh, has described the current Northern talks process as a sell-out of true Republican ideals. He told his party's Ard Fheis it was merely an attempt to update British rule in Ireland and to make it more acceptable to nationalists and internationally. Ard Comhairle member Geraldine Taylor from Belfast said the party of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness no longer had the right to call itself Republican. She said they had sold out the Republican movement, its cause, ideals and principles as well as the sacrifices made by prisoners and those who died over the past 30 years or so.
In relation to decommissioning, Mr O'Bradaigh said the Provisional IRA should simply disband if it handed over its weapons. He denied any joint strategy had been worked out between the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, linked to the Real IRA, and the IRSP, linked with the INLA. However, Mr O'Bradaigh claimed what he termed 'certain parties' had been engaged in a take-over bid of his party but that they had been rebuffed. Republican Sinn Féin is widely believed to have links with the Continuity IRA, although the party denies this.
