Sir, - On Friday, June 21st, as a member of Laois Justice and Peace Group, which is an affiliate of the Table Campaign, I attended as an observer at the point where nationalists staged a sit down protest against the route being taken by an Orange order march through the Cliftonville/ Antrim Road area of North Belfast.
I felt it was unnecessary that the situation had been allowed to degenerate to the stand off which occurred between the RUC and the counter demonstrators. From my information, Orange marchers did not engage in serious negotiations with the residents represented by the Cliftonville/ Antrim Road Concerned Residents Association (CARCRA).
There were two key missing elements to my knowledge, no Irish Government official or representative was present at the time of the stand off; nor were there any observers from international organisation. International bodies could also assist in negotiation in the weeks and months preceding these marches. - Yours, etc.,
Coote Street,
Portlaoise,
Co Laois.