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
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)
Commonly referred to as ‘the Troubles’, the most recent conflict over the territory of Northern Ireland can be framed as beginning in 1968 and ending with the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) in 1998. While the genesis of the conflict was closely related to pressures for the state to reform with relation to discrimination against the (minority) Catholic population, the core issue of the conflict as it proceeded was the constitutional status of Northern Ireland, which was contested between the unionist/loyalist (mostly Protestant) majority, who wanted the territory to remain as part of the United Kingdom, and the nationalist/republican (mostly Catholic) minority, whose goal was to unite the six provincial counties with the Republic of Ireland. The thirty years prior to the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement were marked by inter-communal violence, active paramilitary groups, and the deployment of the British army in the province. Mediation by international actors, and dialogue between the British and Irish governments, and between the IRA and its representatives and the British Government eventually resulted in a ceasefire respected by the majority of combatants. Talks led to the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement which established a power-sharing system of governance between nationalist and unionist communities.
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 (opens in new tab) | 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.