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Irish republicans accuse Bush of using visit to justify war
The Times ^ | April 8, 2003 | Rosemary Bennett and David Lister

Posted on 04/07/2003 4:44:54 PM PDT by MadIvan

PRESIDENT Bush arrived in Belfast last night to face rare criticism from Irish republicans, who accused him of using the Northern Ireland peace process to prop up support for war in Iraq.

On the eve of crucial talks between Mr Bush and Northern Ireland’s main party leaders, Gerry Adams called the President’s decision to hold a war summit with Tony Blair in the Province “insensitive”.

“We would be wrong not to point it out . . . the insensitivity of having a war summit which then discusses peace in the margins, of having a war summit which appears to be trying to use the Irish process as a stage or as a prop,” the Sinn Fein leader said.

Staunchly opposed to the war in Iraq but eager to stay on good terms with the White House, Sinn Fein has been placed in an awkward position by Mr Bush’s visit. The party is attempting to maintain its opposition to military action without attacking the President personally.

Senior Sinn Fein figures joined anti-war protesters who marched towards Hillsborough Castle where the war summit took place amid tight security. About four thousand protesters carrying anti-war placards made their way to the outskirts of Hillsborough, where they were addressed by Mitchel McLaughlin, the Sinn Fein chairman. They jeered and whistled as the President’s helicopter flew overhead on the way to the castle.

Mr Bush and Mr Blair walked in the gardens for half an hour before holding “informal and freewheeling” talks over dinner, where they discussed the unexpectedly rapid progress into Baghdad.

Thursday is the fifth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and Mr Blair will return to Belfast to publish a joint blueprint with Bertie Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister, to try to revive the Stormont Assembly. Mr Blair hopes that the President’s personal involvement, the first time he has become significantly engaged in the issue, will encourage the parties to swing behind his new proposals on security, policing, political institutions and equality.

However, the anti-war protesters who marched towards Hillsborough were less than convinced about Mr Bush’s sincerity in travelling to Northern Ireland. While the majority listened to anti-war speeches, a tense stand-off took place between up to 1,000 demonstrators and riot police blocking the country road into the village near Belfast. In farcical scenes, two demonstrators at the front of the crowd — one banging a pot with a stick, the other beating a frying pan with a metal lid — advanced to within inches of the police.

The protesters, singing “This is what Democracy Sounds like” and “Shame, Shame, Shame”, carried Palestine flags and anti-war placards bearing the messages “Osama Bin Bush”, “USA — Unsanctioned State Aggression” and “Boycott Bush, War Criminal”. As the protest threatened to turn violent, a group of up to 40 jumped over a hedge into a neighbouring field guarded by a line of riot police with alsatian dogs.

The television footage of the protests did not provide the images that President Bush and Mr Blair hoped to see accompany their talks on how to apply the lessons from the Ulster peace process to the Middle East. Mr Bush is due to publish the international “road map” to help to resolve the Israel-Palestine dispute.

Israel has already lodged its protest over 15 aspects of the road map with the White House, including a demand to halt settlement activity.

However, far from taking Israel’s protests as a bad sign, British officials said that it showed that Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, knew Mr Bush was serious about the plan. Progress in the wider Middle East would help Mr Blair to heal the rift that has opened up with the Labour Party over war in Iraq.

Detailed talks on the proposed interim administration in Iraq, which will take over from US military rule, will take place today when Jack Straw and Colin Powell will join the two leaders, along with Condoleezza Rice, who flew in from Moscow last night for the dinner.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: adams; belfastsummit; blair; bush; ira; iraq; saddam; sinnfein; uk; us; war
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I won't say much on this - but I certainly hope Sinn Fein's stance on this war is rather revealing.

Regards, Ivan


1 posted on 04/07/2003 4:44:54 PM PDT by MadIvan
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To: hoosiermama; Dutchgirl; Freedom'sWorthIt; Carolina; patricia; annyokie; ...
Bump!
2 posted on 04/07/2003 4:45:06 PM PDT by MadIvan
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To: MadIvan
Do you ever sleep?

Thanks for all the news from the other side of the pond?

3 posted on 04/07/2003 4:46:21 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: Tijeras_Slim
pond.
4 posted on 04/07/2003 4:46:39 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: MadIvan
Golly, why would Sinn Fein worry about the Brits and Yanks finally collaborating in the war on terrorism?
5 posted on 04/07/2003 4:49:15 PM PDT by Mr. Lucky
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To: MadIvan
What war? What support? We don't need no stinkin' support! We've won!!! (Much to the disappointment, I'm sure, of the aforementioned Irish Republicans.)
6 posted on 04/07/2003 4:50:11 PM PDT by My2Cents
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To: MadIvan
The IRA is nothing but a group of recidivist Communists and terrorists.
7 posted on 04/07/2003 4:52:05 PM PDT by Mister Magoo
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To: MadIvan
Oh, THIS is rich.
8 posted on 04/07/2003 4:52:32 PM PDT by Timesink
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To: MadIvan
It's one of many, but many that will see the "light" hopefully when all is ended.

"The only thing to fear is fear it's self". These people are followers and not leaders and "fear".

D

9 posted on 04/07/2003 4:59:00 PM PDT by Pee_Oui
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To: Pee_Oui
One comment

what this article doesnt report on is the HUGE unionist march in favour of the war.

Carrying both union jacks and stars and stripes.

As for gerry adams ..not someone i have time for
10 posted on 04/07/2003 5:02:16 PM PDT by may18
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To: MadIvan
“We would be wrong not to point it out . . . the insensitivity of having a war summit which then discusses peace in the margins, of having a war summit which appears to be trying to use the Irish process as a stage or as a prop,” the Sinn Fein leader said. [...] the anti-war protesters who marched towards Hillsborough were less than convinced about Mr Bush’s sincerity in travelling to Northern Ireland.

Oh, boo hoo.

This really ticks me off, for some reason. These people want to be PAID ATTENTION TO. That's what they want. Given this, I see no reason why the US President shouldn't "use" a visit to justify his own policies.

After all, why the hell should the US President visit Ireland in the first place? Why should he participate in or even care about their precious "process"?

If they consider his visit "insincere" and this offends them so much he could, after all, just stay the hell home.

I'm so sick of damn terrorists. The whining and attention-seeking is almost as bad as the killing sometimes.

11 posted on 04/07/2003 5:07:54 PM PDT by Dr. Frank fan
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To: MadIvan
Perhaps it is slowly dawning on Gerry Adams that just like Blair stood with Bush on Iraq as part of the war on terror, Bush will stand with Blair if he decides to crack down on terror eminating from Northern Ireland.

The sooner these Marxist thugs are out of the land of my heritage, the better.

12 posted on 04/07/2003 6:12:11 PM PDT by William McKinley (You're so vain, you probably think this tagline's about you)
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To: Happygal
*ping*
13 posted on 04/07/2003 6:13:00 PM PDT by William McKinley (You're so vain, you probably think this tagline's about you)
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To: MadIvan
It is. Believe it or not, there are a lot of self-styled conservatives in the US who support Gerry Adams because of their own Irish roots, without having a clue about how extreme a leftist he is.
14 posted on 04/07/2003 6:14:51 PM PDT by Kenno
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To: Mister Magoo
The IRA is nothing but a group of recidivist Communists and terrorists.

So true it bears repeating, as well as adding that the Jerry Adams is a rotten commie thug. He needs to linger "in the crosshairs" sometime, soon.

15 posted on 04/07/2003 6:17:47 PM PDT by elbucko ('s shopping cart is empty.)
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To: MadIvan
Yo Mad Ivan!

The punks of the IRA are showing their true colors. Why was I even surprised?

16 posted on 04/07/2003 6:52:27 PM PDT by Lysandru
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To: Lysandru
Pres. Bush never could please ALL the Republicans (Hee Hee)!

BTW, a bunch of those mothers used to get their terrorist training in Libya.
17 posted on 04/07/2003 7:05:45 PM PDT by Nucluside (Mark Steyn Rocks!)
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The only thing Irish in my home is Murphy's Irish Stout.
18 posted on 04/07/2003 7:07:12 PM PDT by tuna_battle_slight_return
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To: tuna_battle_slight_return
RINOs.
19 posted on 04/07/2003 7:14:40 PM PDT by JohnnyZ (President of the Ruth Samuelson Fan Club)
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To: MadIvan
PRESIDENT Bush arrived in Belfast last night to face rare criticism from Irish republicans, who accused him of using the Northern Ireland peace process to prop up support for war in Iraq.

Perhaps they haven't notice support for this war has and will continue to grow.

20 posted on 04/07/2003 7:28:59 PM PDT by Mister Baredog ((They wanted to kill 50,000 of us on 9/11, we will never forget!))
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