ARCHBISHOP ROBIN Eames appealed for no words, actions or plan which would bring the North back " to the nightmare which we suffered for 25 years" when he visited Drumcree yesterday.
The Presbyterian Moderator Dr Harry Allen, who also visited Drumeree yesterday, said that regardless of the decision taken by the RUC Chief Constable, it was inevitable that one section of the community would feel strongly aggrieved. He urged both sides to talk, "as there is no possibility of peace in confrontation".
The Church of Ireland primate said: "Above all we have got to resist anything that would bring this province to its knees in terms of its economic progress, its tourism, its business life and anything which would make it worse".
Dr Eames said there was no doubt the Orange Order "feels very much that they want to see this scene, this whole situation out. On the other hand there are feelings being expressed in Garvaghy Road, and that scene has to be taken on board also.
"What we have to see is the Drumcree incident, if we could call it that, not only as a part of a parade issue and a piece of road, but as something to do with the whole situation which people find themselves in".
The Orangemen in the Drumcree area were trying to express their feelings not just in relation to the march in Drumcree, but as part of a wider picture in which "they perceive that their rights and their ethos are being eroded".
They were dealing with human nature and "people who feel they are caught up in something which quite frankly they don't understand. They find it impossible to come to terms with. This march to Drumcree church has been part of their tradition".
The whole situation in that area had been altered, he said, and he could understand the fears expressed on both sides.
Dr Eames said they had got to come to some reasonable solution. "What I am appealing for at the moment is reasonableness, and not just building a situation in which, year in and year out, we're going to face this sort of a crisis. We've got to try and reach some sort of agreement whereby the rights and privileges of two communities much wider than Drumcree are recognised and are seen to be treated fairly."
Dr Eames, speaking to reporters on his second visit in two days, said: "Protest on either side will be utterly diluted by the sort of behaviour we've seen trying to bring this province to its knees again by violence and by burnings and by evictions.
"We have got to find a way out of this impasse," he said. "There is no excuse and no provision whatsoever for the sort of nightmare that we have experienced in this province during the past night. And I simply have to say to you, this is a human problem as much as a political one and we have got to seek reassurance and confidence, calmness and reasonableness.
Dr Allen said that people had a right to protest but it must always be restrained and dignified. "Threats should never be the grounds on which serious decisions are reached. Acceptable agreements must be found so that those who wish to parade may do so in a manner and frequency that residents can accommodate."
Following his visit to Drumcree on Monday, Dr Eames said in a statement it was a time to measure every word and action carefully and seize every opportunity to reach agreement.
"Having talked and listened at great length to those involved in the current impasse at Drumcree I am fully aware of the depth of their feeling at this time," he said.
Expressing appreciation for efforts made to observe the sanctity of church property, Dr Eames said the protesters viewed their action "as part of a wider picture in which the perception is that their rights and their ethos have been eroded by events far removed from Drumcree."
He was also aware of the feelings currently being expressed by the Garvaghy Road Residents Association, he said. "I regret that so far no accommodation of these conflicting views has been possible, for I believe some way must be found in which the rights, ethos and privileges of both communities are treated equally and fairly if this province is to look forward to any degree of stability in the future.
Drumcree is part of a wider problem and it cannot be separated from it. The real question is how do we, as a community, reach a point in which there is a realistic recognition of the just rights to celebrate and observe religious and civic freedom on the part of both traditions."
At this time, Dr Eames said, "every word and action must be measured carefully and every opportunity seized to reach agreement which will allow the freedom of expression and parity of esteem we all seek to become a reality. I appeal to everyone to resist the temptation to fall into the trap of violent words or actions which will delete the legitimacy of protest on either side."
