[Sinn Fein]

12 January 1999

Momentum must be injected by two governments

Speaking following a meeting with the Dublin government today Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness MP said that he had urged the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, to work for the speedy implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Mr. McGuinness met with the Taoiseach for over an hour and held a further meeting with Dublin government representatives. Also on the Sinn Fein delegation were Assembly member Bairbre de Brun, Councillor Joe Reilly and party representative for Dublin South West Sean Crowe.

Mr. McGuinness said:

``During the course of todays meeting I urged the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, to move quickly to inject momentum and dynamic into this process. It is very clear that the next steps to be taken are the establishment of the executive and all-Ireland Ministerial Council and these must be formed immediately. Sinn Fein are ready to take our seats on the executive, are the unionists ready to do the same.

``We all know that David Trimble and the unionists have spent the better part of the last ten months attempting to re-negotiate the Good Friday Agreement. They are trying to stall momentum and are risking the collapse of the agreement. The unionists must get a clear message from the two governments that the Good Friday Agreement cannot be renegotiated.

``As I said last Friday it is now a matter of implementation, not interpretation of the Agreement. There is a responsibility on the two governments to restore public confidence in the process and to make it clear that they will ensure that all aspects of the Agreement will be implemented in full.''

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