BY MEGAN ARNEY
NEW YORK - "The union with Britain has been considerably weakened. There is no doubt about that.... Britain has no right to be in Ireland and it never has," Bairbre de Brún, a Sinn Fein negotiator and director of international affairs, told a meeting of about 150 here April 25. Sinn Fein is the party leading the fight for a united Ireland.

De Brún was on a week-long U.S. tour, which included Milwaukee, Chicago, New York, and Baltimore, meeting with supporters of the Irish freedom struggle to discuss the April 10 agreement on Northern Ireland.

The agreement includes the establishment of a 108-person Northern Ireland assembly, to be elected by proportional representation; the establishment of a North/South ministerial council, to be made up of representatives from the government in the South and the proposed assembly in the North; and a two-year time frame for the release of political prisoners. It does not include the immediate withdrawal of British troops.

Sinn Fein delegates from across Ireland opened a discussion on the agreement at an Ard Fheis (national conference) in Dublin April 18-19. They decided to return for a second meeting May 10 to vote on what position to take after more discussion in the party's branches. Referenda on the agreement will be held in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic May 22.

The so-called Good Friday agreement "is not where we intend to end up. It's a rolling position, not a settlement," de Brún said. "But I do believe we are in a stronger position now than we have been in a long time."

"Has this produced a level playing field? No, it has produced a visual playing field. It's a battlefield. Now we have to bring it forward.... We need to be in the vanguard to make sure these changes happen," de Brún said. She added that one of the biggest challenge facing Sinn Fein was the proposal to change Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution, which claim sovereignty over the entire island. "We do not accept the partition of Ireland. We're opposed to the overturning of articles 2 and 3.... The key debate is at home. What are the challenges? The opportunities?" de Brún told the audience. "There must be immediate and tangible change in people's day-to-day lives."

De Brún took nearly an hour and a half to answer questions and copies of the agreement were available to the crowd. Among those attending were some workers from Ireland, including a layer of youth, as well as longtime activists in the United States. The Sinn Fein negotiator reiterated the party's position on the withdrawal of British troops and the disbandment of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). "The RUC has to go full stop.... Without a date for the release of political prisoners, you won't have an agreement. All of the political prisoners must be released." There are more than 750 Irish freedom fighters imprisoned in Northern Ireland, Britain, and the Irish Republic.

In a response to a question on whether or not fighters for Irish self-determination could trust the British government to concede to the agreement, de Brún responded, "What you can trust is that the British government is going to look at their interests first.... I wouldn't like to wait for self-determination." The Labour Party, the ruling party in Britain today, "has to be held accountable for fair employment. We are fighting for absolute change in employment and differentials."

De Brún concluded with an appeal for activists here to keep up international pressure in fighting for Irish self- determination. "This is a phase in the struggle. We're going into another phase.... Republicanism has come of age. We recognize our power, our unity, can bring fundamental change."  
 
 
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