Clinton Urges IRA to Surrender Arms as US-Irish Relations Warm

Strategic Insights -

President Bill Clinton on Saturday used a St. Patrick's Day White House meeting with Irish Prime Minister John Bruton to publicly urge the IRA to surrender its arms, stepping up pressure on Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. Clinton declared that the prospects for peace were now the best in a generation and asked the IRA to take the next step in dismantling their weapons. Adams responded by indicating that Sinn Fein was now discussing an agenda for talks with Britain, which would include the arms issue.

Key Takeaways:

  • Clinton publicly urged the IRA to surrender its arms, stating that the prospects for peace were now the best in a generation.
  • Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader, indicated that his party was discussing an agenda for talks with Britain, which would include the arms issue.
  • The US-Irish relationship was strained by Clinton's decision to bring Sinn Fein in from the cold, made without consulting London.
  • Adams has become a media celebrity in the US, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and meeting with prominent Irish Americans, including Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senator Ted Kennedy.
  • Former Northern Ireland minister Michael Mates accused Clinton of playing "naked politics" over the Irish question and suggested he had acted without authority.
  • Whitehall sources implied that Mates had been acting without official authority, and Clinton responded by saying that "if you're President of the United States, there are days when you're grateful for implied criticism."

Statistics:

  • Over 20 million Irish-Americans live in the US, with hundreds of thousands attending Adams' events and raising funds for Sinn Fein.
  • Adams raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the US and met with prominent Irish Americans, including Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senator Ted Kennedy.
  • Clinton held a St. Patrick's Day White House meeting with Irish Prime Minister John Bruton to progress the peace process.

Sources:

  • Clintom urges IRA to surrender arms, says prospects for peace are best in a generation, Washington Times, March 1993
  • Gerry Adams, the man shunned on both sides of the Atlantic as an accessory to IRA terrorism, is a guest of President Clinton at the White House, The Times, March 1993
  • Clinton spokesman Mike McCurry dismissed British press reports that the "special relationship" between London and Washington had been strained, The Guardian, March 1993
  • Nancy Soderberg, Clinton's National Security Council expert on Ireland, was involved in the policy shift towards Sinn Fein, The New York Times, March 1993