BY PETE CLIFFORD AND PAUL DAVIES

DUBLIN, Ireland - "John Major is kidding no one - the peace process goes nowhere without Sinn Fein," Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein president, confidently told the 800 delegates and visitors gathered at the party's Ard Fheis (annual conference), held here March 23-24. Adams was responding to suggestions repeatedly made by British government ministers that all-party talks on the future of Ireland would proceed June 10 without Sinn Fein if the Irish Republican Army (IRA) did not call a cease-fire.

Introducing the political report to the gathering, Sinn Fein vice president Pat Doherty said the period since the IRA cease-fire of August 1994 was "not a waste of time.... Those 18 months exposed to the world what Britain's role in Ireland really is. They exposed the fact that Britain was prepared to risk a return to war rather than accord nationalists democratic rights. And we have been able to bring our message of peace and justice through negotiation to the world."

Jim Gibney, a member of Sinn Fein's leadership body, the Ard Chomhairle, reported on the organization's recent campaigns. "Last year saw the highest level of consistent campaigning on the streets throughout the 32 Counties since the 1981 hunger strikes," he said.

"In campaigning for all-party talks, the release of political prisoners, demilitarization, the disbanding of the RUC [Royal Ulster Constabulary], Irish language rights, an end to sectarian discrimination, social and economic equality, our party and our supporters have kept the central issues which need to be addressed in the search for peace in the forefront of national and international attention."

International solidarity
Reflecting Sinn Fein's success in reaching out internationally, a representative of the African National Congress attended the Ard Fheis for the first time. Ian Phillips, a member of Parliament from KwaZulu-Natal, said, "Our South African revolution was aided by the world movement against apartheid and our democracy will not measure up so long as oppression and repression exist in others parts of the world. In coming from a bitter struggle I salute the heroes and heroines of the Irish struggle for freedom." Philips's greetings were met with an enthusiastic standing ovation.

Also attending the conference were a representative of the French Communist Party and John Austin Walker, chair of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour Party members of Parliament (MPs), a left caucus of 30 headed by Anthony Benn. Austin Walker called on the British government to convene "all-party talks with no preconditions." The previous week Austin Walker and 25 other MPs defied Labour's leadership and voted against London's renewal and expansion of the repressive Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Other international delegates came from Portugal, Germany, Spain, the Basque country, Denmark, El Salvador, and Turkey. Some 25 participants attended from Britain.

Referring to the IRA's resumption of armed actions, Adams said, "It was the public commitment by both [British and Irish] governments that negotiations would commence after a specified period of three months, without preconditions... which delivered the IRA cease-fire." He charged that "the basis of this cessation had been removed through the reneging on the negotiations by the British."

Outside the conference hall, plainclothes Special Branch police harassed delegates. On the route from Dublin airport the Irish army mounted an armed roadblock.

`London not for democratic settlement'
In recent "proximity talks" from which Sinn Fein was excluded, Adams said, the British government "is involved in a real negotiation, but its objective is not a democratic peace settlement. Its negotiation is with Dublin, the SDLP [Social Democratic and Labour Party] and the U.S. administration in an effort to outflank us.... London's aim is to pacify Ireland and to concede the minimum possible."

Sinn Fein chairperson Martin McGuinness charged that the "announcement that all-party negotiations will begin on June 10 now has a hollow ring to it, with obstacles and preconditions littering the road to nowhere." McGuinness declared that the announcement by British prime minister John Major of May 30 elections in Northern Ireland was "an attempt by the British to lay down a unionist framework for an internal political settlement in the north before one word of negotiations has taken place."

London has announced that the 110-member elected body will meet parallel to the talks. Unionist party leaders, who are likely to get the largest vote, have said it should discuss and vote on the issues raised in the talks. McGuinness explained, "Our preference is for non- participation in both the elections and the elected body." McGuinness said Sinn Fein will propose this course to the SDLP. Failing their agreement, Sinn Fein will ensure "our electorate is not isolated," which most took to mean that the Ard Chomhairle would decide to stand in the elections.

Youth join in organizing
The Ard Fheis decided to work toward establishing a youth department that would organize a national youth conference in the coming months. In early February the newly established Belfast Sinn Fein youth group Glor na nOg hosted a forum that attracted 70 delegates from all over Northern Ireland as well as some from the Republic.

In addition, students at Queens University in Belfast formed a branch of Saoirse, the prisoners rights campaign. Sinn Fein had been denied the right to organize at Queens, and on March 14 the student council voted 27-21 to extend the ban to Saoirse. A Saoirse spokesperson responded, "We will continue to campaign around the release of political prisoners irrespective of the sectarian machinations of a small group of students."

While An Phoblacht/Republican News, the paper of Sinn Fein, has carried a lively debate in its letters column assessing the decision of the IRA to end its cease-fire, delegates to the conference unified around the point Gerry Adams made that the Ard Fheis was "not the vehicle for such announcements" about the IRA.

One delegate, Aongus O Snodaigh from Dublin, challenged the leadership's peace strategy, saying it had failed. He said, " I am not calling for an immediate rejection of the strategy, but we surely need to re-evaluate it and if need be dump it." At the conclusion of the Ard Fheis, however, there was a unanimous vote on the political report presented by the leadership.

In all the Ard Fheis passed more than 100 motions on issues ranging from proposals for a new police force to replace the RUC to opposition to the U.S. embargo against Cuba and support for gay and lesbian rights.

The longest debate was on a motion proposed by Maghabbery women republican prisoners, seconded by H-Block prisoners, calling for a woman's right to choose abortion. Proposing the motion, Mary Ellen Campbell said women republicans were used to oppression but had the added burden "of legislation which prevents us taking decisions affecting our own bodies."

Speaking against this, Caomhglin O Caolain said passing the motion would create "serious dissatisfaction" in the party and threaten its vote, especially in rural areas. He and others also spoke out against the current policy of Sinn Fein in defense of the right to travel to have an abortion, to information about abortion availability, and to have an abortion in life-threatening or rape cases.

In the end the motion was defeated, leaving Sinn Fein's current policy in place.  
 
 
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