THE FORUM for Peace and Reconciliation has failed to agree on its key report because of differences over the issue of majority consent within Northern Ireland.
Sinn Fein has refused to agree that the consent of a majority in Northern Ireland is required for any new accord. The Green Party disagreed with the proposal for a referendum to measure the level of consent to any settlement agreed at all party talks.
The report, Paths to a Political Settlement in Ireland: Realities, Principles and Requirements, was published yesterday, billed as a "final paper". Sinn Fein spokesmen made it clear that, while they subscribed to most of the paper, they could not agree to clauses which they saw as acceptance of a "unionist veto".
The paper recommended that the final outcome of future all party talks should be ratified by "the people of Ireland, North and South". This is taken to mean that separate concurrent referendums, North and South, would be required to assent to any new arrangements.
It is a core Sinn Fein principle that a majority of the people of Northern Ireland does not have a right to reject a settlement supported by a majority on the island.
"We feel that in too many ways the word consent has become a euphemism for the old unionist veto, and that would be a barrier to dialogue", said Mr Pat Doherty, vice president of Sinn Fein. While the issue could be discussed in all party talks, Sinn Fein could not be expected to concede such a core principle in advance of talks.
The chairwoman of the forum, Judge Catherine McGuinness, said last night that she did not find the disagreement a disappointment. The main sticking point for Sinn Fein and the Green Party at the drafting stage had been "the issue of ratification of an agreement, once reached". The forum's prime purpose was not necessarily to achieve agreement between all 12 parties, she emphasised.
Asked how failure to reach full agreement would be interpreted in unionist political circles Judge McGuinness said that this was something only the unionist parties could answer. "But I would ask them, if they were answering it, to look at the large measure of agreement that there was and the usefulness of dialogue . . . in getting a full commitment to exclusively peaceful and democratic means of resolving our differences."
The deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr John Taylor, did not share her view last night. "The pan nationalist front in the Dublin forum, after many months of talking to each other, have failed to reach agreement.
"If nationalists cannot agree on the issue of consent, what hope is there for all party agreement in Northern Ireland between unionists and Sinn Fein? The Dublin forum has served one purpose - it has exposed the reality that Sinn Fein is an obstacle to political agreement - even among nationalists."
The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, said that the lack of agreement was a "grave disappointment" and that there was no consensus on the core element of the document. Other parties expressed little surprise at the Sinn Fein stance. The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, commented: "If we were to sit around here for six months, there would not be agreement.
Earlier yesterday, Fianna Fail participants in the forum had suggested postponing a decision on the document to allow time for further discussion. However, Sinn Fein representatives are understood to have stated that there would be no point in any further discussion, as their position would not change.
The Alliance Party leader, Dr John Alderdice, said that the Sinn Fein view was "no great surprise". He added: "Some of us have taken the view for some time that Sinn Fein has not signed up for the principle of consent. Today was simply a demonstration of that."
Dr Alderdice said that he was encouraged by the fact that an overwhelming body of nationalist opinion had signed up to this principle.