Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BELFAST9
2009-02-20 18:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Consulate Belfast
Cable title:  

ENSURING THE PEACE IN NORHTERN IRELAND: KEY USG OBJECTIVES

Tags:  PGOV PREL PTER ECON UK EI 
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O 201825Z FEB 09
FM AMCONSUL BELFAST
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1451
INFO AMEMBASSY DUBLIN IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 
NSC WASHINGTON DC
AMCONSUL BELFAST
C O N F I D E N T I A L BELFAST 000009 


NOFORN

DEPT FOR EUR/WE; NSC FOR SHERWOOD-RANDALL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/20/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ECON UK EI
SUBJECT: ENSURING THE PEACE IN NORHTERN IRELAND: KEY USG OBJECTIVES

REF: A) BELFAST 005; B) LONDON 356; C) BELFAST 006; D) 08 BELFAST 080


CLASSIFIED BY: Susan Elliott, Consul General, Belfast.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L BELFAST 000009


NOFORN

DEPT FOR EUR/WE; NSC FOR SHERWOOD-RANDALL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/20/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ECON UK EI
SUBJECT: ENSURING THE PEACE IN NORHTERN IRELAND: KEY USG OBJECTIVES

REF: A) BELFAST 005; B) LONDON 356; C) BELFAST 006; D) 08 BELFAST 080


CLASSIFIED BY: Susan Elliott, Consul General, Belfast.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C/NF) Summary. This is a joint message from Embassies
Dublin, London, and Consulate Belfast. It outlines key
objectives for continuing USG involvement in Northern Ireland in
order to ensure the completion of the successful peace process
that began with the Good Friday Agreement. Finalizing the
transfer of policing and justice powers from the British
government to Northern Ireland's devolved administration is the
last remaining political component of the peace process and,
therefore, continues to be the USG's main policy objective. The
parties in Northern Ireland are engaged in finding acceptable
mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the past (victims and
reconciliation issues). Encouraging economic development and
foreign direct investment in Northern Ireland should strengthen
the current peaceful political stability. We believe a Special
Envoy would lend great assistance to the people of Northern
Ireland as the political process there matures, as communities
engage in constructive forward-looking reconciliation efforts,
and as Northern Ireland strives for economic growth. This focus
would help cement the peace process. The traditional White
House St Patrick's Day can help achieve these objectives. End
Summary.

Current State of Play
--------------


2. (SBU) Northern Ireland's devolved government, as envisioned
in the provisions of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, fell apart
in 2002 because the IRA had not decommissioned its weapons. The
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP),which now is the largest
unionist party, contributed to the 2002 fall of the devolved
government because it had not agreed to the terms of the Good
Friday Agreement. In 2005 Sinn Fein persuaded the IRA to
decommission its weapons, the first step toward formation of the
current power sharing arrangement. In October 2006, with the
support of the U.S., Irish and British governments, agreements

among all the parties were achieved at St. Andrews, Scotland.
In January 2007, Sinn Fein endorsed devolution of policing and
justice and recognized the Police Service of Northern Ireland
(PSNI) for the first time. The parties then agreed to hold
elections and form a new power sharing government. After
winning pluralities in the March 2007 elections, DUP Ian Paisley
Sr. took office as First Minister and Sinn Fein's Martin
McGuinness became Deputy First Minister on May 7, 2007. When
Ian Paisley decided to retire, the DUP named Peter Robinson as
their party leader and he assumed the position of First Minister.


3. (SBU) In May 2007, the British government devolved all
powers to Northern Ireland's government, except the
administration of policing and justice. Progress on
implementing this final step stalled primarily because of DUP
concerns about former IRA members having responsibility for
security-related issues. Another concern for all Northern
Ireland's politicians is the high cost of managing the courts,
prison and police services.

Key U.S. Objectives for Northern Ireland
--------------


4. (C/NF) Consulate Belfast and Embassies Dublin and London
agree USG objectives during the year ahead should focus on
encouraging Northern Ireland's leaders to move forward
politically on the devolution of policing and justice, make
lasting decisions on how to address and move beyond the legacy
of the Troubles (victims and reconciliation issues),and promote
economic growth. We agree that the U.S. should continue to
deploy a Special Envoy to demonstrate high-level U.S. interest
in these issues and advance our objectives. The British and
Irish governments are actively urging us to appoint a new
Special Envoy. A Special Envoy would enable our missions to
focus on these objectives and other aspects of the our bilateral
relationships with the UK and Ireland, while recognizing that
working these issues solely from London or Dublin would not be
as effective at this time.

Devolution of Policing and Justice
--------------


5. (C/NF) The October 2006 St. Andrews Agreement spelled out
that the Northern Ireland Administration was not ready to assume
the powers of policing and justice, but that there should be
significant progress by May 2008 towards this final component of
devolution to a power-sharing government. Sinn Fein
subsequently became disillusioned because it felt that the DUP
was not taking the necessary steps toward devolution of police
and justice. However, in November 2008, the DUP and Sinn Fein
agreed to complete the legislative steps necessary for
devolution of policing and justice to take place in 2009. The
delay in devolution has created a vacuum which dissident
republican groups have used to criticize Sinn Fein's leadership.
The British government and the PSNI are concerned that this
vacuum could lead to violence against police officers and other
government targets.


6. (C/NF) The USG has been clear in its support for devolution
and the need for all parties to carry out their commitments
under the St. Andrews Agreement. The British and Irish
governments will seek a commitment from the new U.S.
administration of its continued support on this issue.


7. (C/NF) Key outstanding issues which could hold up progress
are: securing adequate financing for policing and justice from
the British government, selection of the Justice Minister (as a
compromise both DUP and Sinn Fein have agreed that neither party
should lead the ministry),and passage of implementing
legislation by Westminster and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The USG could capitalize on its good bilateral relationships
with the British and Irish governments to facilitate the
resolution of these issues.

Legacy of Past
--------------


8. (C/NF) The Consultative Group on the Past, lead by Lord Eames
and Denis Bradley, issued a report in late January 2009 (Ref C),
recommending the creation of a Legacy of the Past Commission to
work with victims of the Troubles and the establishment of a
highly controversial compensation scheme. Both the British and
Irish governments are carefully examining the Eames and Bradley
report. The Irish hope that the U.S. will play a strong role in
the Commission for Victims and Survivors for Northern Ireland
envisaged in the Eames-Bradley Report and expect that the USG
and private citizens in the U.S. will be approached for funding
for the Commission. During meetings with U.S. representatives,
Eames and Bradley have mentioned the high cost of implementing
the Report's recommendations and need for USG funding (Ref C).


9. (C/NF) A key aspect of the Eames and Bradley report deals
with how to handle investigations into past cases. The report
recommends the formation of a Legacy Commission, chaired by an
international commissioner. The Commission would have a
five-year mandate to complete investigations of historic murder
cases as well as assist with reconciliation efforts. This
Commission would have a mandate to investigate all unresolved
cases such as the 1989 murder of Human Rights Attorney Pat
Finucane. Thus far, the USG has not taken a strong position on
the recommendations of the Bradley and Eames Report, nor have we
addressed more broadly the usefulness of addressing the legacy
of the Troubles. The issues raised by official and unofficial
examinations of the events in Northern Ireland during the
Troubles are morally, legally, and politically complex. These
issues, however, need to be addressed in a forward leaning,
constructive manner.

Economic Development
--------------


10. (C/NF) Decades of conflict had a negative impact on Northern
Ireland's economy. In the past year, the Special Envoy and the
U.S. Ambassadors in Dublin and London have served as liaisons
with Irish America and U.S. businesses to promote investment in
Northern Ireland. This paid dividends in May 2008, when over 80
U.S. companies attended the U.S.-Northern Ireland Investment
Conference (Ref D). With British government funding constrained
by the economic downturn in the UK, Prime Minister Brown
supports foreign investment in Northern Ireland as a way of
creating jobs and stimulating economic growth, providing proof
of the value of the peace process. The Irish government
promotes all-island investment and an all-island approach on
economic issues such as tourism, energy, and infrastructure
links. With the global economic downturn impacting worldwide
investment, USG support for economic development will continue
to be vital to Northern Ireland and the buoyancy of the peace
process.

Importance of St Patrick's Day
--------------


11. (C/NF) The traditional St. Patrick's Day celebration at the
White House, which was started by President Clinton and
continued during the Bush Administration, can help the USG
achieve its objectives in Northern Ireland. Embassies London
and Dublin and Consulate Belfast believe a White House St.
Patrick's Day celebration this year would provide concrete
evidence of continued USG interest and engagement in the
political, economic and societal issues of the North --
engagement that all the parties in Northern Ireland, and both
the Irish and UK governments, still believe is very important in
maintaining the momentum of the peace process. London, Dublin
and Belfast agree that the key elements of a White House St.
Patrick's celebration should be the President's bilateral
meeting with the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and a meet and
greet with Irish and Northern Ireland political, business and
community leaders. The event should highlight USG key
objectives in Northern Ireland -- devolution of policing, cross
community reconciliation, and the need for economic development.

View from London
--------------


12. (C/NF) The calculus governing the Northern Ireland
devolution issue in London has changed markedly over the last 18
months. While the issue is still seen as important, PM Gordon
Brown has not invested a fraction of the political or personal
capital that former PM Tony Blair devoted to the issue; and
given the press of other issues demanding Brown's attention this
is unlikely to change in the near term. Illustrative of the
HMG's current focus on the issue was a comment made to the
Political Counselor by the Cabinet Office director for the U.S.
(NSC director-equivalent) who said he spends roughly 15 percent
of his time on Northern Ireland, whereas his predecessor devoted
half of his time to the issue. That said, HMG has underscored
to us the need to name a new U.S. Special Envoy to keep positive
momentum on Northern Ireland moving forward at least through
2012 -- the sunset clause date by which the system for
devolution of policing and justice must be reviewed.


13. (C/NF) Also affecting the British government's approach to
Northern Ireland will be its lack of ready cash. The global
economic downturn has tightened HMG's purse strings
dramatically, and Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward has
told us that the government will not be in a position to provide
any further incentives on outstanding devolution issues, as
party leaders in Northern Ireland have requested. The days of
using injections of HMG funding to bridge political gaps have
drawn to a close, and the HMG will likely shift its emphasis to
put responsibility for funding further progress on the private
sector. In explaining its inability to inject further cash to
fund devolution, the government will doubtless point to the UK's
bleak economic situation but will also likely ask those
corporations who stand to gain much financially from a peaceful
and stable Northern Ireland to begin footing the bill for future
prosperity. (Comment: Given the progress on devolution and the
HMG presumed policy shift from aid to trade in Northern Ireland,
perhaps it is time move past direct funding in favor of
encouraging increased international investment. The
International Fund for Ireland, since its inception in 1986, has
funded over 5,700 projects across the island of Ireland at a
cost of over GBP 576 million in donations from the U.S., Canada,
the EU, Australia, and New Zealand. End comment.)

View from Dublin
--------------


14. (C/NF) The Irish government believes the USG will continue
to be a critical neutral international observer -- and, if
needed, mediator -- in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Irish government officials think sustained U.S. involvement will
encourage greater political cooperation between republicans and
unionists (especially Sinn Fein and the DUP),and will help to
maintain community confidence in the institutions of government
in the North. They are specifically concerned that the
timetable for the devolution of policing and justice to the
Northern Ireland Assembly could break down, once again creating
a flashpoint that the USG could help defuse. In addition, they
think that USG involvement will help the Northern Ireland
Assembly, the Irish government, and the British government deal
effectively and peacefully with the volatile issues of
unreconstructed republican dissidents and as yet still armed
unionist paramilitaries. Moreover, they think that continued,
sustained U.S. focus on Northern Ireland will compel the British
government to ensure that its focus does not waver.


15. (SBU) The Irish government recognizes the need to bolster
the economy in Northern Ireland and seeks American investment to
help accomplish this. The government is promoting an all-island
approach on economic issues to the extent that it is politically
feasible (tourism, energy, infrastructure links, etc.). The
renewable energy sector holds great promise for North-South
cooperation and investment, and is an area in which the USG
could add value. Embassy Dublin recommends the USG also
consider focusing on the work that is being done by
InterTradeIreland, which promotes all-island business links.
Another good first step would be to create a higher-profile for
the U.S.-Ireland R&D Partnership by, for example, looking to
expand the range of projects that it can support and encouraging
another senior USG official to take on the role of co-chairman
of the body. (The most recent U.S. co-chair was former HHS
Deputy Secretary Tevi Troy.)


ELLIOTT