About 150 people attended a meeting in Dundalk last night organised by the 32-County Sovereignty Committee. The meeting was told the committee would lead a campaign of opposition to any "partitionist settlement in any future referendum".
The vice-chairwoman of the committee, Ms Bernadette Sands McKevitt, was present but did not speak. Several members of ail, Republican Sinn Fein and the Irish Republican Socialist Party, linked to the INLA, were also present. Some of those who attended said that they were members of Fianna Fail. Mr Francie Mackey, a Sinn Fein councillor from Omagh, Co Tyrone, challenged his party's leadership to explain why it was remaining in the talks when a partitionist settlement was the inevitable outcome. He said he felt "totally let down".
He asked why Sinn Fein leaders were "giving legitimacy to a process which copper-fastens partition".
The leadership had to explain its bottom line. Would it accept a Northern Ireland assembly and take its seats? Would it agree to a dilution of Articles 2 and 3?
Mr Mackey said the British-Irish document published last week clearly upheld partition. He had heard the concerns expressed by the Sinn Fein leadership but wondered why it remained at the talks. The alternative was clear. He said that Many republicans, including himself, should have "seen it coming".
Mr Rory Dougan, one of 30 Co Louth Sinn Fein members who resigned in November, said that by accepting the Mitchell Principles, the republican leadership endorsed a blueprint which ultimately aimed to destroy the republican movement.