As the post-September 11th world takes shape, and the United States embarks on its war against terrorism, we are presented with many difficulties - and many opportunities, including the chance to resolve some of the festering conflicts around the globe that have produced terrorism.
One such conflict - Northern Ireland - is tantalizingly close to settlement. The historic and commendable decision by the Irish Republican Army to begin decommissioning has removed one of the most difficult obstacles in that process, and we expect that this step will be met with similar actions by loyalist paramilitaries and forward movement on all of the changes envisioned by the Good Friday agreement.
As members of the House International Relations Committee of the Congress of the United States, we have dedicated ourselves to seeking a just solution to this conflict. In particular, we have pushed for a new beginning on the all-important policing issue. Real, meaningful police reform is critical for lasting security and the rule of law in Northern Ireland. A significant component of this reform is the creation of a new policing board to oversee the process. We welcome the decision by the Social Democratic and Labour Party, the Ulster Unionist Party, and the Democratic Unionist Party to nominate candidates for the board. The Irish government, as well as some nationalist leaders, believe that the vital changes suggested by the Patten Commission will now be implemented. We agree.
In light of this progress, we are convinced that it is an appropriate time to lift the ban imposed by Congress on training the new Police Service of Northern Ireland by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Congress prohibited such training until the British and Irish governments fully committed to carrying out the Patten reforms.
We believe that commitment has been honoured.
Ending the ban will support two key goals of the Patten reforms. It will further help professionalise the new police force, and it will foster north/south police co-operation, since in the past the FBI trained police from both north and south together, creating a spirit of professional collegiality.
Our Committee's Chairman, Representative Henry Hyde, has agreed that the ban has served its purpose, and has committed to ending the prohibition through legislation under discussion with our Senate counterparts.
We did not come lightly to the decision to support ending the ban, but believe that peace will be advanced by doing so.
This is not to say that we do not share the concerns that many still have about the future of police reform. In particular, we understand and respect the reservations held by Sinn FΘin about joining the police board.
However, in light of the commencement of decommissioning by the IRA, we hope that Sinn FΘin would revisit its decision regarding the board. Sinn FΘin needs to join the SDLP in sitting on the board, as the nationalist community should be fully represented.
The new police board, all parties, and the British and Irish governments must now help to bring about a new era in public security as envisioned by the Good Friday accords.
Along those lines, we welcome the pledge by Sinn FΘin that it will not intimidate or coerce members of the Catholic community from seeking employment as members of the new police force. Sinn FΘin has always kept its word in the peace process, and we know that it will keep its word once again.
We will strive to ensure that the issues raised by Sinn FΘin president Gerry Adams in his September 20th letter to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will be addressed.
We also wish to assure all members of the Northern Irish community, whether unionist or nationalist who are concerned about the need for effective community policing, that we will work with you and others to make certain that all of the changes the Patten Commission recommended will be implemented.
There are still difficult times ahead. The repeated suspension of the power-sharing institutions, the recent specifying of three loyalist paramilitary groups, and the continuing investigation in Colombia of alleged IRA support for the FARC, the largest guerrilla group in that country, all pose grave challenges.
But these can and will be overcome, if people have the courage to take risks for peace.
We believe the end of the FBI ban is an essential step in that direction, and urge all of the parties involved to make a concerted effort towards genuine police reform. For our part, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to supporting a just and lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
Benjamin Gilman is a Republican Congressman for New York; William Delahunt is a Democrat Congressman for Massachusetts