Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BELFAST88
2009-11-03 17:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Consulate Belfast
Cable title:  

NORTHERN IRELAND FIRST MINISTER ROBINSON AND DEPUTY FIRST

Tags:  PREL PGOV PINR UK EI 
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P 031712Z NOV 09
FM AMCONSUL BELFAST
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1545
INFO AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY DUBLIN PRIORITY 
NSC WASHINGTON DC
AMCONSUL BELFAST
C O N F I D E N T I A L BELFAST 000088 


NOFORN

STATE FOR EUR/WE
NSC FOR TOBIN BRADLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/3/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR UK EI
SUBJECT: NORTHERN IRELAND FIRST MINISTER ROBINSON AND DEPUTY FIRST
MINISTER MCGUINNESS ON DEVOLUTION OF POLICING AND JUSTICE, NOVEMBER
2, 2009

CLASSIFIED BY: Kamala S. Lakhdhir, Consul General, AmConsul
Belfast, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)


C O N F I D E N T I A L BELFAST 000088


NOFORN

STATE FOR EUR/WE
NSC FOR TOBIN BRADLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/3/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR UK EI
SUBJECT: NORTHERN IRELAND FIRST MINISTER ROBINSON AND DEPUTY FIRST
MINISTER MCGUINNESS ON DEVOLUTION OF POLICING AND JUSTICE, NOVEMBER
2, 2009

CLASSIFIED BY: Kamala S. Lakhdhir, Consul General, AmConsul
Belfast, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



1. (C/NF) Summary: Despite strong complaints regarding the
behavior of the other and their respective parties, Northern
Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister
Martin McGuinness both agree that the financial piece of
devolving policing and justice powers is complete, and are now
meeting over remaining "community confidence" issues. Chief
among these at this point is the contentious issue of Orange
Order parades and the altering of current structures to deal
with them, with both sides wary of potential electoral
consequences in their respective communities. Robinson indicated
that Prime Minister Brown has presented a proposal for a way
forward on parades, which includes a four-step transitional plan
that the parties are currently discussing. End Summary.



2. (C/NF) On November 2, CG and Deputy CG met separately with
Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First
Minister Martin McGuinness to review the status of talks on
devolution of policing and justice. McGuinness was accompanied
by senior adviser Ciaran Quinn while Robinson was joined by
political advisers Peter King and Richard Bullick. Notably,
Robinson and McGuiness and their senior advisers had met for
over an hour to discuss devolution of policing and justice
before meeting with the CG/Deputy CG.


--------------
deputy FM Martin McGuinness
--------------


3. (C/NF) deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness began the
meeting expressing dismay about HMG "side deals" with First
Minister Robinson that McGuinness and Sinn Fein (SF) had not
ostensibly been aware of. Specifically, McGuinness objected to
HMG's offer to provide a GBP 20 million payment to former
part-time RUC police reservists. According to McGuinness this
payment is essentially an influx of cash to the Democratic
Unionist Party (DUP) election coffers as it will help them get
votes in next year's parliamentary elections. He also strongly

criticized HMG support for linking the issue of parades to
transfer of powers for policing and justice. McGuinness
believes inferred UK support for the DUP's position on parades,
including abolishing the parades commission, has brought the
process to a "near meltdown," emphasizing that abolition of the
parades commission would make the SF position untenable.
Reiterating that an agreement on devolution must be concluded by
Christmas, McGuinness warned that Robinson's insistence on a
resolution of the parades issues as a pre-condition for
devolution could ensure that it won't happen.



4. (C/NF) McGuinness said that he had requested a telephone call
with PM Brown the previous day, and said that he would be
willing and able to travel to London to see the Prime Minister
on November 3. (Note: McGuinness will be in London in transit
to New York for a Friends of Sinn Fein fundraising event on
November 4. End Note.) McGuinness said that he was scheduled
to meet with UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shaun
Woodward later on November 2 to discuss HMG's negotiations with
Robinson. McGuinness said he planned to tell Woodward that if
there was to be any HMG representation on further parades
discussions, he would demand that Irish Foreign Minister Micheal
Martin be present as well.



5. (C/NF) McGuinness reported that the DUP had offered that the
DUP and Sinn Fein's advisors meet later in the week to discuss
the parades issues and a possible future mechanism to manage
this issue. McGuinness confirmed that Sinn Fein had agreed to
hold such talks.


--------------
First Minister Peter Robinson
--------------


6. (C/NF) Robinson began the meeting expressing deep frustration
with Sinn Fein's behavior during the negotiations on devolution,
noting that among other transgressions, SF had committed a
process foul when it "leapfrogged" over identification of a
future Justice Minister and his responsibilities to focus
exclusively on the financial issues. Now that financial
questions have been resolved, Sinn Fein still is not dealing
with the critical issue of ensuring that the future Justice
Minister has in place a decision-making process that gives him
adequate autonomy. (Consulate Note: The basic DUP-SF dispute
here is how involved the OFM/dFM Executive will be in the
Justice Ministry's decision-making. Robinson has insisted that
the Justice Minister should act more independently than other
ministries, i.e. without required guidance from OFM/dFM.
Politically, this would allow the DUP to distance itself from
unpopular decisions as well as claim to its base that it ensured
SF has no part in controlling the Justice Ministry. McGuinness
and SF have insisted that OFM/dFM oversight of the Justice
Ministry should be the same as for other ministries. End note.)



7. (C/NF) Robinson confirmed that the likely Justice Minister
will be Alliance party leader David Ford and that the DUP and
Sinn Fein have met with Ford and other senior Alliance members
to discuss the set up of the new ministry. Robinson complained
that McGuinness and his representatives had only joined one of
three meetings that had been held with Ford. He said that Ford
is seeking a cross-party agreement on a policy program for
policing and justice and endorsement of a shared future
initiative as conditions of his taking the Justice Minister post.



8. (C/NF) Turning to parading, Robinson questioned McGuinness
and Sinn Fein's objections to linkage between devolution and
parades, emphasizing that Sinn Fein was the first to link the
two issues when it refused to agree to the formal issuance of
the Ashdown report or moving forward on the parades issue until
devolution was completed. While acknowledging that Sinn Fein
had political reasons for delaying action on parades, Robinson
questioned why the party would now argue that linkage was
unacceptable. The DUP had also made it clear to all parties
that parading was an essential component of "community
confidence" related to devolution. The DUP had in fact been out
ahead of the Unionist community in trying to resolve the issue,
Robinson claimed, adding that parades have more of an impact on
the ground than the broader issue of devolving policing and
justice.



9. (C/NF) Robinson indicated that Prime Minister Brown has
presented a proposal for a way forward on parades, which
includes a four-step transitional plan:

Step 1: Ashdown report and recommendations are formally adopted,
published, and accepted by parties and HMG.

Step 2: The parties agree that the parades commission will exist
for another twelve months, i.e. through the 2010 marching season.

Step 3: The parties agree to establish a "contentious parades"
group with cross-community representation to consider how to
manage the approximately five most contentious parades.

Step 4: The group will publish a "process paper" that lays out a
framework for dealing with contentious parades.



10. (C/NF) Robinson noted that Brown's proposal wouldn't be
enough for broad DUP support (i.e. it doesn't immediately
abolish the parades commission and will be viewed as giving too
much input to nationalists on parades),but added he "may be
able to get the party behind it." He also acknowledged that
Sinn Fein's rank and file may also object to aspects of the
proposal but again could be convinced to accept it. Regarding
the Orange Order, Robinson reported that Order's leadership has
told him privately that the removal of the parades commission
would allow them to change its policy of not meeting with Sinn
Fein on parades. He said that some of the local lodges have
already begun to do so. Robinson concluded that DUP and Sinn
Fein still "require some facilitation to reach agreements on
parades." He suggested that PM Brown and/or Woodward will need
to convene discussions on this issue. Robinson concluded by
insisting that contrary to those that question whether he is
seeking to derail or postpone devolution, he has no political
interest in not seeing devolution occur at this point. Many in
the Unionist community recognize that the Brown package will
provide additional financial support for policing and justice
programs, Robinson emphasized, and that he would be foolish to
abandon it.


LAKHDHIR