Madam, – According to Gerry Moriarty (“Conservatives will stand by peace process”, April 27th), the Downing Street Declaration of December 1993 stated that the British government has “no selfish, strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland”. William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, would appear to agree, as he told a press conference in Newtownabbey this week that “This is not a selfish or strategic interest. This is about people who want to live and work together”.
It is greatly to be regretted that neither Mr Moriarty nor Mr Hague would appear to have read the text of the declaration (which was issued by an administration to which the latter belonged). The text has no comma between “selfish” and “strategic”. What it means is not that the British government has no selfish or strategic or economic interests in Northern Ireland, but that its strategic and economic interests in the region are not selfish by nature. – Yours,e tc,
CDC ARMSTRONG,
North Parade, Belfast.