Transcript
Thursday 9 April
At breakfast with Ahern, the Irish went through the North-South problems again. They were angry that, having made concessions in negotiation with us the previous day, these had been set aside by the Unionists. Not for the first time, the Taoiseach revealed his extreme suspicion of Unionist intentions, based on nationalist experience of many years. He recalled Unionist failure to deliver on the North-South front in both 1921 and 1973. He was worried at the idea that he could change Articles 2 and 3, and then get nothing for it. There was consequently great stress on the Irish side on the need for Westminster legislation to ensure that the North-South bodies would definitely be established. The Irish also showed further concern about Sinn Fein’s position.
Notes
- ‘Articles 2 and 3’ refer to the parts of the Irish Constitution which claimed Northern Ireland as part of its territory.