Ahern confident of SF assent

The Taoiseach is confident Sinn Fein will ratify its leadership's recommendation of support for the Belfast Agreement and call…

The Taoiseach is confident Sinn Fein will ratify its leadership's recommendation of support for the Belfast Agreement and call for a Yes vote North and South at its ardfheis tomorrow.

Mr Ahern also predicted backing for the leadership's recommendation would not lead to a repeat of the 1986 ardfheis split when the then Sinn Fein president, Mr Ruairi O Bradaigh, walked out.

"There is no doubt there are some people opposed to the agreement, but I believe Sinn Fein feel most people will keep within the party," Mr Ahern said in Clonakilty, Co Cork.

"There are a small group of Sinn Fein in Cork who are canvassing under a new name, as there are in Dublin, but by and large I think most of their organisation are on side."

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Mr Ahern said that quite clearly there were people in the Continuity IRA opposed to the agreement and there were also people moving to the 32 County Sovereignty Committee.

"But these are a handful of people or a few handfuls of people and I think the vast majority of people in this country cannot allow a situation to transpire that these people would be allowed to create major problems into the future," he said.