Northern Ireland
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Northern Ireland Records, 1995-1998.
29.5 linear feet.
Catalog Number: M202.7
Background Note:
After his retirement in 1995, Senator Mitchell was appointed by President
Clinton to serve as Special Advisor to Northern Ireland. On November 28,
1995, British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Taoiseach John Bruton
issued a joint communique announcing the "twin-track" system, calling
for the formation of the International Body to examine the process of
decommissioning paramilitary arms in Northern Ireland, and setting a date
in February 1996 to open all-party peace negotiations. As chairman of
the International Body, Mitchell gathered background information regarding
the conflict in Northern Ireland. During December of 1995 and January
of 1996, the International Body received hundreds of submissions and testimonials
from individuals, groups, and corporations concerning the quarter-century
of violence and political unrest in Northern Ireland. Also referred to
as the Mitchell Commission, the Body interviewed a number of British and
Irish political and religious leaders in an attempt to discern whether
or not various paramilitary groups would voluntarily surrender arms as
a precursor to peace negotiations. The Mitchell Report, released on January
24, 1996, called for a phasing-out of paramilitary weapons in Northern
Ireland in addition to elections prior to the opening of peace talks.
The report was lauded by both British and Irish governments, but the end
of a 16-month cease-fire by the Irish Republican Army (I.R.A.) in February
of 1996 delayed the peace process. During the next two years the joint
chairmen oversaw a series of multiparty negotiations in which the involved
groups debated various agendas, procedures, and draft agreements which
dictated the Opening Plenary Session. This often volatile process included
multiple party proposals on decommissioning of arms and other significant
issues, as well as indictments against parties believed to be breaking
with the Mitchell Principles. A major point of contention centered on
the late admittance of Sinn Fein, which caused the withdrawal of many
loyalist parties. While Sinn Fein was later expelled in connection with
two Belfast murders, the decommissioning question remains a major obstacle
to the full implementation of the final peace agreement, completed on
April 10, 1998, and known as the Belfast Agreement. This agreement was
approved by public referendum on May 22, 1998, mandating a new British-Irish
Agreement to replace the Anglo-Irish Agreement, changes both in the Irish
Constitution and in British legislation, and the creation of a North/South
Ministerial Council with implementation bodies.
Description:
Materials held regarding the Northern Ireland peace process were mainly
created or received between December 1995 and April 1998. Background material
includes books, pamphlets, and videos that provide a history of the turmoil
in Northern Ireland over the past 25 years. Commission documents include
official submissions, press releases, schedules,
Mitchell's briefing book, computer files, drafts of the Mitchell Report, party
proposals, minutes from Opening Plenary Sessions and Strand meetings,
records of informal discussions, statements, letters, election results,
public opinion research, political promotional material, records of hearings,
as well as the final Belfast Agreement document. A final subseries is
comprised of press clippings collected between December 1995 and January
1996, and June 1996 through June 1998, and video recordings, principally
of honors and awards received by Mitchell. Events documented are the development
and release of the January 1996 Mitchell Report, procedural records of
the sessions, and the drafting and signing of the peace agreement. Many
Irish and United Kingdom political, governmental, and religious entities
participated in the talks. These were represented by numerous individuals
including Tony Blair, David Trimble, John Hume, Ian Paisley, Martin McGuinness,
Gerry Adams, John Taylor, Marjorie Mowlem, and Sir Patrick Mayhew, among
many others. Discussion among these participants often focused on the
numerous indictments faced by parties believed to be at odds with the
Mitchell Principles, as well as the late admittance of Sinn Fein. Although
Sinn Fein was later expelled from the talks, its entrance sparked much
controversy and induced many of the loyalist parties to exit the peace
process.
Access Restrictions: Restricted until 10 years from the date
of creation; sub-series M202.7.3, Press Clippings and Videos, carries
no restrictions.
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