GERRY ADAMS told Enda Kenny at Stormont yesterday that Fine Gael was “not trusted” on the “national question” after the Fine Gael leader said he would not enter into a coalition government with Sinn Féin.
Mr Kenny, who met the main party leaders at Parliament Buildings, including Peter Robinson, Mr Adams and Martin McGuinness, told reporters he would not sit in government with Sinn Féin partly because the IRA army council had not been stood down.
Mr Kenny’s comments would appear at odds with the views of the Independent Monitoring Commission which in September 2008 reported that the IRA army council was “no longer operational or functional”. One of its members Lord Alderdice said at the time that seeking its disbandment was like “waking somebody up to give them a sleeping tablet”.
Mr Kenny said he had two reasons for refusing to enter a coalition with Sinn Féin, the first of which was because of its economic, taxation and European policy which was completely contradictory to Fine Gael’s position.
“Secondly and more importantly in our 26 counties, in our Republic, we have a situation where we have one Army and one Army only. I cannot deal with Sinn Féin because the [IRA] army council has never been stood down.”
Speaking before he met Sinn Féin he said he would make this point to Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness.
“This is an issue, in so far as I am concerned, that is fundamental to the constitution of our country, the fact that we have only one Army. I have given Sinn Féin due credit for the distance it has travelled, but that journey in terms of democratic politics has not yet been completed,” he said.
Mr Adams said the encounter with Mr Kenny was “frank but good” but added that Mr Kenny’s position on Sinn Féin was “offensive” and undemocratic.
“This has nothing to do with the IRA. The IRA has long since left the stage. So quite frankly, and I told Enda this, most democrats, nationalists and republicans don’t trust Fine Gael on the national question or on the North,” said Mr Adams.
“We are pleased to have Fine Gael here. They’re not here often enough otherwise they wouldn’t make such silly statements. For the Fine Gael leader to say such silly things on a visit to Parliament Buildings and at a meeting in which the only government Ministers present are Sinn Féin Ministers, only feeds into those on the unionist and on the fringes of the nationalist side who are opposed to the peace process,” said Mr Adams.
“It is deeply offensive to those who elect me and other Sinn Féin representatives that a senior politician in Leinster House doesn’t uphold the democratic rights of those who vote republican across this island and their right to choose whoever they want to represent them.”
There was unanimity on one issue yesterday with Mr Kenny, Northern Secretary Owen Paterson and all other parties congratulating Graeme McDowell on winning the US Open.
