Parties urged to go into talks endorsing Mitchell Principles

THE Presbyterian General Assembly in Belfast has called for "all elected parties (in the North) to enter into urgent and serious talks" with both governments, with a view to achieving "a mutually acceptable political accommodation.

An amendment to another resolution which demanded decommissioning as a precondition for such talks was rejected.

The assembly also called on political parties "to make their commitment to a violence free negotiating process absolute and to sign up to the Mitchell Principles."

In the debate on "Church and Government", the assembly recommended that as an encouragement to the peace process consideration should be given to increased remission of prison sentences for those involved in paramilitary crimes "short of murder."

Such remission could take place in the event of "credible ceasefires", including an end to punishment beatings and targeting, and with evidence that such prisoners would not get involved in any further paramilitary activity.

The assembly also registered that it was "acutely aware of the continuing grief of those people who have been bereaved through the activities of paramilitary violence, the suffering of those who have been inured and the distress caused to thousands of others whose lives have been radically dislocated."

The proposer of the report and resolutions on the debate, the Rev Dr John Dunlop, said the amount of suffering visited upon people in both communities in the North over almost 30 years had been "almost unspeakable."

He remarked that at times during the peace process there was a danger of the suffering being overlooked "as if none of this has ever happened."

In that light a careful and cautious approach would be the proper one where prisoner release was concerned, he said, but such release "might help to prevent further violence and reduce the possibility of more victims being added to the number of those who already suffer."

Referring to the necessity for all parties to adhere to the Mitchell Principles, he emphasised this must apply "across the board to everyone," but remarked that "one of the most inappropriate characteristics of people on this island is that we are much given to self righteousness".

This was, he said, "an insidious danger" which prevented us looking at most things from any point of view other than our own.

"One suspects that like the Pharisee in the story, we do not pray to God at all, but, like him, we pray to ourselves," he said. "We need a political accommodation with our neighbours and we, and they, need it soon.

Seconding the report and resolutions, the Rev Dr Godfrey Brown said "this province cannot afford another Drumcree. Nor do we want those Saturday protests at Harryville. Least of all do we want a repetition of the Satanic, events of last Saturday evening in Ballymoney.

Such events, he said, were the result of "focusing only on our rights and `our traditions." He also reminded the assembly that it remained the duty of Christians to obey "lawfully constituted, authority" even when a mediation process breaks down.

It was "no part of our Christian obedience to set our people in open conflict against our long suffering police force, nor to give anyone a licence to be violent and abusive in word or deed. For us as a Church that is the bottom line," he said.