Mr Harry Blaney (Independent, Donegal North-East) said he was prepared to give the Northern Ireland Agreement "a chance". Mr Blaney's support for the agreement, and his long-term commitment to support the Government, have been in doubt in recent weeks. He clarified his position yesterday during the committee stage debate on the Bill paving the way for the referendum on the agreement. He told the Dail that having carefully considered all the aspects of this agreement, he was still left with a great dilemma.

"I see good parts in it and I have strong reservations about other parts, my chief reservations being about the proposed changes to Articles 2 and 3.

"But having weighed up the pros and cons, I consider that some slight advancement has been made for the nationalist cause and that it perhaps can be used as a basis for the eventual achievement of my party's goal of a united Ireland.

"I do not see this agreement as the ideal solution, or in any way a final solution to our problems, but I am prepared to give it a chance. But I will still keep pressing for what I believe will be the only final solution which will bring lasting peace to our nation, which is a British declaration of intent to withdraw from this island, while at the same time recognising that Britain has in the interim period a major role to play in assisting us in bringing about reconciliation among our divided people and the reunification of our nation."

Mr Blaney said the fact that the proposed amendments to Articles 2 and 3 would not take effect until after all the other matters agreed were put in place did allay to some extent the reservations he had on the issue.

The decision the House would later take would be to put the agreement before the people to decide whether it should be adopted or not.

"Rather than deny the electorate that opportunity, I have decided to vote for the proposal which is before this House. Our organisation, by taking this course, will have played its part in the achievement of the peace we have all longed for."

Mr Blaney said his biggest fears about the agreement related to constitutional issues. He particularly disliked the consent clause, which in his estimation copper fastened the unionist veto on partition. In return for amending Articles 2 and 3, they were getting the repeal of the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which in his opinion was meaningless, given that the British would remain in occupation of the six counties. He urged the Government to put the question on amending Articles 2 and 3 to the people in a separate referendum.

He said he had had a huge influx of correspondence from people all over Ireland urging him to use whatever influence he had to oppose amendments to Articles 2 and 3.

Having studied the agreement, he was still confused as to what the overall implications of it would be. It was a document with much technical language and he suspected it was the opinion of many others that no matter how well one tried to comprehend its implications, there would still be many doubts and much confusion in the minds of the voters.

He was disappointed the Government had decided to have the referendums on the agreement and the Amsterdam Treaty on the same day. In his estimation, and that of his party, the agreement had pros and cons. "There are parts in it that I would welcome and many other parts that I would have reservations about."

Welcoming proposals to reform the RUC, he said he hoped that they would eventually lead to a police force with widespread community support. He also welcomed the proposals regarding the release of prisoners, claiming that but for "the corrupt and unjust system which has always prevailed in the six counties, these people would never have been imprisoned in the first place."