Joint Statement by Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern (Saturday afternoon statement)

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Country/entity
Ireland
United Kingdom
Northern Ireland
Region
Europe and Eurasia
Europe and Eurasia
Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name
Joint Statement by Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern (Saturday afternoon statement)
Date
6 May 2000
Agreement status
Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement
Yes
Agreement/conflict level
Interstate/intrastate conflict(s) ( Northern Ireland Conflict (1968 - 1998) )
Stage
Implementation/renegotiation
Conflict nature
Government/territory
Peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
Parties
British and Irish Governments (by the Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern)
Third parties
-
Description
This was one of a number of agreements signed between the 5th and 6th of May 2000 which were part of an agreed 'choreography' between the British and Irish governments and the Northern Irish parties in the talks process and the IRA, relating to a log-jam in the talks process relating to decommissioning. In this agreement, in relation to the IRA's confidence-building measure, involving third-party inspection of IRA weapons dumps and after consultation with the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning, the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach announce that Mr Martti Ahtisaari and Mr Cyril Ramaphosa have agreed to head the inspections.

Agreement document
UK_IE_000506_Joint Statement by Tony Blair and Berti Ahern (Saturday Afternoon Statement).pdf | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth
No specific mention.
Disabled persons
No specific mention.
Elderly/age
No specific mention.
Migrant workers
No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group
No specific mention.
Religious groups
No specific mention.
Indigenous people
No specific mention.
Other groups
No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons
No specific mention.
Social class
No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender
No specific mention.
Men and boys
No specific mention.
LGBTI
No specific mention.
Family
No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general)
No specific mention.
State configuration
No specific mention.
Self determination
No specific mention.
Referendum
No specific mention.
State symbols
No specific mention.
Independence/secession
No specific mention.
Accession/unification
No specific mention.
Border delimitation
No specific mention.
Cross-border provision
No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed)
No specific mention.
Elections
No specific mention.
Electoral commission
No specific mention.
Political parties reform
No specific mention.
Civil society
No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders
No specific mention.
Public administration
No specific mention.
Constitution
No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing
No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing
No specific mention.
Economic power sharing
No specific mention.
Military power sharing
No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general
No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar
No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation
No specific mention.
Civil and political rights
No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights
No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship
No specific mention.
Democracy
No specific mention.
Detention procedures
No specific mention.
Media and communication
No specific mention.
Mobility/access
No specific mention.
Protection measures
No specific mention.
Other
No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI
No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions
No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law
No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions
No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts
No specific mention.
Prisons and detention
No specific mention.
Traditional Laws
No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction
No specific mention.
National economic plan
No specific mention.
Natural resources
No specific mention.
International funds
No specific mention.
Business
No specific mention.
Taxation
No specific mention.
Banks
No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights
No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights
No specific mention.
Cultural heritage
No specific mention.
Environment
No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access
No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees
No specific mention.
Ceasefire
No specific mention.
Police
No specific mention.
Armed forces
No specific mention.
DDR
Security sector→DDR→Demilitarisation provisions
Page 1,
...In relation to the IRA's confidence-building measure, involving third-party inspection of IRA weapons dumps, the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach are pleased to announce, after consultation with the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning, that Mr Martti Ahtisaari and Mr Cyril Ramaphosa have agreed to head the inspections...Detailed aspects of the inspection process will be worked out in the coming days and Mr Ramaphosa and Mr Ahtisaari will be briefed by the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning.
Intelligence services
No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces
No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces
No specific mention.
Corruption
No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime
No specific mention.
Drugs
No specific mention.
Terrorism
No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general
No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon
No specific mention.
Courts
No specific mention.
Mechanism
No specific mention.
Prisoner release
No specific mention.
Vetting
No specific mention.
Victims
No specific mention.
Missing persons
No specific mention.
Reparations
No specific mention.
Reconciliation
No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory
No specific mention.
Other international signatory
No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement
No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar
No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism
No specific mention.
Related cases
No specific mention.
Source
CAIN Web Service
https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/events/peace/docs/bi060500b.htm

Joint Statement by Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, and Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) issued on (the afternoon of) Saturday 6 May 2000

The Prime Minister and the Taoiseach welcome the statement today by the IRA in response to the two governments' statement of May 5th.

In relation to the IRA's confidence-building measure, involving third-party inspection of IRA weapons dumps, the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach are pleased to announce, after consultation with the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning, that Mr Martti Ahtisaari and Mr Cyril Ramaphosa have agreed to head the inspections.

Mr Ahtisaari is the chairman of the International Crisis Group and the former president of Finland.

Mr Ramaphosa is on the board of the International Crisis Group, and is the former secretary-general of the African National Congress in South Africa.

Detailed aspects of the inspection process will be worked out in the coming days and Mr Ramaphosa and Mr Ahtisaari will be briefed by the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning.