Sinn Féin's manifesto launch: The Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams has said that key peace process talks would take place after the European Parliament elections and that a strong Sinn Féin representation in Europe would strengthen the party's negotiating hand.
Mr Adams was speaking at Belfast Castle yesterday where, with the party's Northern Ireland candidate Ms Bairbre de Brún, he promoted the Sinn Féin manifesto which was formally launched in Dublin on Tuesday.
Mr Adams said that behind-the-scenes talks were continuing with the British and Irish governments during the election campaign and that in the post-election talks the party would strive to "shape up the modalities" that might lead to a breakthrough.
"There will be negotiations after this election. A strong Sinn Féin vote and a team of Sinn Féin MEPs will send the British government a clear message that people across the island are determined to have their basic rights and entitlements delivered. A major part of that is to have Bairbre de Brún returned from the six counties," he added.
Sinn Féin's best chance of taking a seat is in the three-seat Northern Ireland constituency. The DUP has made it a central part of its campaign that its candidate, Mr Jim Allister, must top the poll over Ms de Brún.
Ms de Brún, however, said the chief issue for Sinn Féin in the North was to win a seat rather than see who gains most first-preference votes. Nonetheless, nationalists and republicans also had "a sense of this being a moment in history", and that Sinn Féin was receiving a very positive response on the doorsteps.
Mr Adams said: "As the largest pro-agreement party we are best placed to challenge the DUP agenda and challenge those within the British system who continue to try and frustrate the promise of the Good Friday agreement."
He said he was not complacent but believed Sinn Féin would make major gains in the European election in the North and in the local and European elections in the South. "We're bringing in every single vote, we are asking people to vote for Sinn Féin and to transfer to Sinn Féin."
On Tuesday the SDLP said Ms de Brún, if successful, would be isolated in the European Parliament because Sinn Féin was aligned to no European political grouping. UUP candidate Mr Jim Nicholson, who has described Sinn Féin's manifesto as a "curious mix of North Korean economics and 1930s nationalism", made a similar point.
Ms de Brún rejected such comments and said Sinn Féin was engaging with a number of political groupings to determine which one it might align with. "We have a good working relationship with the broad socialist left and we will continue to work with them as we have in the past."
A party spokesman also said that among the parties to whom it was making overtures is the European Socialists, of which the SDLP is a member.
Ms de Brún repeated that Sinn Féin now favoured the North joining the euro even though it previously campaigned against the Republic so doing. There was logic to such a stance because Northern Ireland adopting the euro would create an all-Ireland currency, she added, although she did not rule out Sinn Féin in the future favouring Ireland withdrawing from the euro.
Ms de Brún said she was determined to further the peace process and create an "independent Ireland of equals in a Europe of equals".
She would campaign to have Irish made an official working language of Europe and challenge any moves towards European militarisation. Sinn Féin wanted "to support and enhance those aspects of the EU which are good for people, and we want to play a part in changing those things which are not.
"Sinn Féin's agenda is one of change. We want to bring that agenda to the heart of Europe to promote the peace process; to further the all-Ireland agenda; to build an Ireland of equals in a Europe of equals."
