[Sinn Fein]

30 April 1996


VOTE FOR PEACE

Sinn Fein Chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin has told a meeting of the party's six county electoral strategy group that the panel of candidates for Sinn Fein in the May elections which will involve Party leader Gerry Adams and Ard Chomhairle member Martin McGuinness, will also include senior party figures from the 26 counties. Among them will be General Secretary Lucilita Bhreatnach and Vice President Pat Doherty.

Mr. McLaughlin said: ``Sinn Fein is an all-Ireland party, seeking an all-Ireland settlement. In our negotiations with the British government we have always included members of the party leadership from the 26 Counties. In any future negotiations it is our firm intention to maintain that balance within the party's negotiating team.

``Under the slogan Vote for Peace, Sinn Fein will therefore be including senior party figures from the 26 Counties on our panel of candidates for the May 30th election.

``The election campaign will see Sinn Fein's peace agenda set firmly against the British strategy of undermining the search for peace and the unionist agenda of domination and partition. We will give Irish nationalists and republicans the opportunity to assert Irish democratic rights while rejecting the unionist Stormont assembly and partition. We will defy the British government's arrogant assumption that it can dictate to the Irish people who they can or cannot elect and we will demand the political and constitutional changes necessary for a just and lasting peace.

``Sinn Fein intends providing a focus for the widespread demand for real negotiations, for a release of all political prisoners and we will present the British government with a strong republican voice and give strong republican leadership at this vital time.''


Sinn Fein Press Office, 44 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Tel: +353-1-8726100 and +353-1-8726839   ·   Fax +353-1-8733074
E-mail: sinnfein@irlnet.com   ·   Website: http://www.sinnfein.org

Released in the US by:

Friends of Sinn Fein, 510 C Street, NE, Washington DC 20002
Tel: +1-202-547-8883   ·   Fax +1-202-547-7889
E-mail: fosf@nicom.com   ·   Website: http://www.sinnfein.org


Sinn Fein   ·   Sinn Fein Documents
Web publication by rm@serve.com
Web archival by iig@www.utexas.edu