[Sinn Fein]

31 January 2001


Defend the Agreement - Get Policing Right

Following yesterday's court case which found that David Trimble had acted `unlawfully', Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams MP has called on the First Minister to ``set aside his sanctions against the two Sinn Fein Ministers, stop time wasting and get on with the job of promoting the Good Friday Agreement and building confidence within unionism.''  

Also commenting on speculation surrounding the policing issue the Sinn Fein President urged that ``no one or party should allow itself to be shoe horned into accepting anything less on policing than the new beginning promised by the Good Friday Agreement.''  Mr. Adams said:

``Following yesterday's court decision in which the First Minister was found to have acted unlawfully, David Trimble should now set aside his sanctions against Bairbre de Brun and Martin McGuinness and get on with making the political institutions work.  Any appeal by him is a time wasting exercise.

``Instead of constantly engaging in tactics which undermine confidence, and especially unionist confidence, in the Good Friday Agreement, David Trimble should be standing up for and promoting the Agreement.  The reality is that the uncertainty created by Mr. Trimble's tactics is making things easier for those engaged in the daily bomb and gun attacks on catholic homes.''

Commenting on speculation surrounding the policing issue Mr. Adams said:

``There is still a wide gap between the British government's position on policing and the proposals contained in the Patten report. Given the history of the RUC and the significance of policing it is important that we make every effort to get this issue right.  That means no one and no party should allow itself to be shoe horned into accepting anything less on policing than the new beginning promised by the Good Friday Agreement.''


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