Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Anguish over the long and difficult path to ceasefire
GERRY Adams yesterday said he regrets it took until 1994 for the first IRA ceasefire admitting “a lot of people were killed or injured” in that time.
The outgoing Sinn Fein president added he first began dialogue with Fr Alec Reid, who was considered pivotal to the peace process, in 1977.
But it was not until 11 years later that the priest brokered Mr Adams’ dialogue with the then SDLP leader John Hume, which led to the 1994 IRA ceasefire.
The Louth TD said he regretted the deaths and injuries caused during those years.
He added: “I regret it took so long and that those who would condemn, denounce, use moral denunciations as a subterfuge for just not talking, therefore it took almost from 1976/77 to 1994 before the first cessation.
“That’s an awful long time and a lot of people were killed or injured and traumatised in between.”
CRITICISED
Mr Adams said when he and Mr Hume met in 1988 they “did what is just the imperative, the primacy of any process [which] is to talk, to listen”. He added: “And out of that came the Hume/adams principles.”
The former West Belfast MP criticised past UK prime ministers who refused to talk to Sinn Fein during the Troubles.
He said: “Probably the toughest [to deal with] were the stupid ones who wouldn’t talk.
“If you consider I was an elected official along with others and other elected officials wouldn’t talk to us and the British prime ministers handed over the future... to generals, to military bosses, to people who brought in collusion, internment, shoot to kill and all the rest of it and just militarised the situation with all the awful consequences of that.”
Mr Adams said John Major had the chance to help bring peace but failed while Tony Blair seized the opportunity “with both hands”.
He added he believed the ex-labour leader had done “dreadful” things in Iraq.
Mr Adams said: “Myself and Martin Mcguinness warned him against the consequences of going into anyone else’s country with military force.”