IRISH THANK USG FOR PEACE PROCESS SUPPORT AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000942


E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER PINR EI UK
SUBJECT: IRISH THANK USG FOR PEACE PROCESS SUPPORT AND
WELCOME IRA STATEMENT

Classified By: AMB James C. Kenny for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Dermot Gallagher, DFA Secretary General, asked to meet
with the ambassador July 28 to discuss the IRA statement.
Gallagher said that in the view of the GOI, the IRA statement
of July 28 showed "a clarity that was not in previous
statements" and is "as good as you can get." He hoped the
Irish peace process would send a message to the world that
intractable conflicts can be solved, especially if
governments work together. In the case of Northern Ireland,
Gallagher said it was the the work of three governments: the
Irish, the British and the U.S. He said the USG played a
crucial role as "honest broker" and thanked us for U.S.
cooperation on the ground and from Washington. He asked for
continued U.S. engagement in order to keep the momentum
going. The Irish expect that decommissioning will proceed
very quickly, perhaps within two weeks. Over the next months,
he said, decommissioning, British demilitarization, and IMC
reports about IRA actions will be mutually reinforcing. Come
January, if the IMC has issued two successive, positive
reports on IRA behaviour, the onus will be on unionists. As
for ongoing criminal investigations into money laundering and
the Northern Bank robbery, Gallagher said that the law of the
land will be upheld without reference to the peace process,
and he underscored that these investigations are not part of
the Good Friday Agreement. He also said that the Irish
government cut no side deals with Sinn Fein in the run up to
the July 28 IRA statement. Gallagher also indicated that
there will be a show of unity between the Taoiseach's Fianna
Fail party and its governing partner, the Progressive
Democrats (PD). Justice Minister Michael McDowell (PD) has
been the most vociferous member of government in calling the
"provisionals" to account. He is expected to compliment the
Taoiseach and PM Blair and to take issue only with the IRA's
statement that "the armed struggle was entirely legitimate."
END SUMMARY

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GOI Reacts Positively to IRA Statement
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2. (C) On July 28, Dermot Gallagher, DFA Secretary General,
conveyed the Irish government's positive view of the IRA
statement. He said that there is a clarity in the statement
that was not in any previous statements and it is "as good a
statement as you can get." Gallagher indicated GOI
confidence that there is "a check against delivery," meaning
that the IMC will report in October and January whether or
not the IRA actually delivers what it promises.

........Crime


3. (C) Looking at the precise wording of the statement, the
GOI views especially positively the sentence, "Volunteers
must not engage in any other activities whatsoever." This
sentence refers to crime, he said. As we all know, he said,
the IRA cannot put in writing that they will stop engaging in
crime because in their theology, volunteers can never be
criminals. To nail down the two governments' definition of
the line, he said, PM Blair deliberately said in his press
conference that he took "any other activities whatsoever" to
mean crime.

.......Policing


4. (C) Gallagher also noted the IRA's reference to the
"responsibility on society to ensure there is no re-occurence
of the pogroms of 1969 and the early 1970s." The GOI
interprets this as a call on all, including republicans, to
work to get policing right. Separately, Rita O'Hare, Sinn
Fein's North America representative, flagged the same
sentence and indicated that Sinn Fein believes it is a call
on republicans as well to accept policing. Gallagher said
that policing is an area in which the U.S. could be helpful.

......the messenger is the message


5. (C) The IRA's message was also in the man who delivered
it, according to Gallagher. By choosing a hard army man to
read the message, the IRA meant to convey to people in the
field that the army, including the most devoted volunteers,
and not just "the politicians," is behind the statement.
According to Gallagher, Seanna Walsh is an active, trusted
member of the IRA, who served one of the longest sentences
for his crimes (21 years). He served his time in both the
infamous cages and H block of Long Kesh, and was one of the
first to "go on the blanket" and protest imprisonment by
refusing to wear clothes or bathe. Significantly, Walsh was
friend and cell mate of Bobby Sands. His friendship with
Sands is important both because Sands is a hero to the IRA
and because Sands' sister married Michael McKevitt, founder
of the breakaway Real IRA. By having Walsh deliver the
message, the GOI believes the IRA was trying to dissuade any
potential dissenters and show the "guys on the ground that
the army is in charge."

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Three Governments Working Together
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6. (C) The GOI believes July 28 developments send a positive
signal to the world that intractable problems can be solved
if governments work together. He said that in the case of
Northern Ireland, it was not just the UK and Ireland, but
equally the U.S. that drove the process. Gallagher thanked
the U.S. for its role as honest broker throughout. He and
the Ambassador agreed that the united front since the
breakdown of Leeds castle talks in December helped Sinn Fein
and the IRA understand that they had to make this move.

.......Next Steps


7. (C) Gallagher asked that the USG stay engaged. All three
governments, he said, need to "send signals of engagement" in
order to keep the momentum going. He said the GOI is
particularly concerned that the UK not "sit on its hands"
until January but rather take steps that signal the Good
Friday Agreement is on track. He said Sinn Fein will want
front loading of demilitarization. Decommissioning, British
demilitarization, and IMC reports about IRA actions will be
mutually reinforcing, according to Gallagher. Come January,
he said, if the IMC has issued two successive, positive
reports on IRA behaviour, the onus will be on unionists.
Good IMC reports would also pave the way for movement on
other issues.


8. (C) On a close-hold basis, Brendan Scannell, Director of
the Northern Ireland office, indicated that the UK and
Ireland would move in tandem to deal with "on the runs"
(OTRs) once the acts of completion have been achieved. He
said no new laws were needed but rather the government
planned to publish a "scheme," probably in November, for
dealing with the issue. He said an eligibility body would be
established to deal with "qualifying persons." Gallagher
made a point of saying that the issue of releasing the men
convicted of killing Garda McCabe was "off the table."
Gallagher also made clear that investigations into money
laundering (Dublin 936) and the Northern Bank robbery were
ongoing and "the law of the land" will stand. He pointedly
said that the criminals involved are not covered under the
Good Friday Agreement and the investigations will proceed
according to the law.

..........U.S. engagement


9. (C) Gallagher said continued and visible US engagement is
needed. He asked if the USG could "send signals of
engagement," and referred to FM Ahern's planned visit to the
U.S. in September for the UNGA, and the travels of the
President's Special Envoy. He said the U.S. could be very
helpful on policing and possibly on economic development, as
Sinn Fein seeks to show its followers that peace brings a
better standard of living. He said it would also be helpful
to plug references to the peace process into major foreign
policy speeches. In addition, the GOI is worried about that
Loyalist paramilitaries will stop fighting each other and
lash out at the nationalist community, and asked if the US
could send a signal to them.


KENNY