THE Democratic Party platform has four scattered references to Northern Ireland, mainly praising President Clinton's good intentions towards the peace process. However, there is no indication of any new initiative if he is re elected in November.
The Republican Party platform had one paragraph devoted to Northern Ireland supporting the peace process, calling for an end to violence and also backing the MacBride Principles on non discrimination in employment.
In the Democratic Party policy document the first reference to Northern Ireland groups it with the Middle East, saying that in both regions four years ago "there were no signs of peace". But "today in the Middle East we have seen real agreements towards peace, and handshakes of history, and the people of Northern Ireland have seen a 17 month ceasefire and historic negotiations among the parties."
Under the heading "Promoting peace and democracy", the platform says that the party is committed "to standing with all those willing to take risks for peace, from the Middle East to Northern Ireland, where President Clinton was the first US President to engage directly in the search for peace, including making an historic visit to Northern Ireland."
Under the heading "Europe and the former Soviet Union" the platform says: "We support continued efforts to secure a Just and lasting peace in Bosnia, Northern Ireland and Cyprus."
Under the heading "Promoting democracy", the platform says that the Democratic Party "supports the aspirations of all those who seek to strengthen civil society and accountable governance. To this end, we support the MacBride Principles of equal access to regional employment in Northern Ireland."
The scattering of the references to Northern Ireland and the absence of any mention of a role by the two governments concerned or by the former Senator Mr George Mitchell, probably reflects the uncertainty about future developments.
The reference to the MacBride Principles could be seen as a mild criticism of British rule in Northern Ireland but it is also intended to mollify the Irish American groups, such as the Irish National Caucus, which attacked Mr Clinton for vetoing a bill giving Congressional approval to the principles. The bill mainly dealt with other domestic matters and was vetoed for that reason not because of the MacBride Principles; which had been tacked on. Up to now, the principles have been approved by individual state legislatures only.
The bulk of the Democratic platform, to be approved today deals with economic and social matters and the need to "protect America's values".
The document defends President Clinton's approval of the welfare reform bill which has angered the liberal wing of the party. But it pledges to relieve hardship caused by the removal of federal benefits from legal immigrants and their children "who fall on hard times through no fault of their own".
On abortion, the party reaffirms women's right to choose. The goal is "to make abortion less necessary and more rare, not more difficult and more dangerous."