London

By David Alexander
LONDON (UPI) -- British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds signed a joint declaration Wednesday aimed at securing peace in Northern Ireland by offering the political wing of the IRA an opportunity to join negotiations to end 25 years of communal strife.

The joint declaration signed by the two leaders would allow Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Army's political wing, to join in preliminary negotiations with the British government three months after the IRA agrees to end its violent campaign in the province.

"If the provisionals will end and renounce violence for good, the British government is prepared to enter into preliminary, exploratory dialogue with Sinn Fein within three months when cessation of violence has been clearly established," Major told a news conference

The talks would pave the way for Sinn Fein to join multi-party negotiations on the future of the Northern Ireland. But Major warned that he could not ensure the declaration would lead to peace. He said the IRA had to renounce violence first.

"We have an option for peace," Major said. "Whether that option is picked up lies with the men of violence and not with us...I simply say, the option is there in a way it hasn't been before. I hope they'll have the wit to take it."

"I think today's declaration is the first step...of putting together a framework that can produce a process that will lead to peace," Reynolds told the news conference.

"We've had 25 years of violence," he said. "Violence has not succeeded. It has shown to be futile...Surely after 25 years it is time to look back at the record of success or failure and I suggest that it hasn't improved the position of either community."

Major later briefed Parliament on the seven?page agreement, and he went on national television Wednesday night for a fireside?chat address to reassure the people of Northern Ireland and to urge them to support the accord.

The prime minister, seated in front of a flickering fireplace with a Christmas tree at one side, said: "The time to choose peace is long overdue, but only the men of violence can decided whether they will talk instead of bomb, discuss in stead of murder.

"The message of our declaration is this: They must renounce violence, not for a day or a week, but for good so that the climate of fear is lifted and trust can grow between the communities of Northern Ireland. I hope and pray they will take the opportunity that lies before them. I don't know that they will, but I do know this: It must be right to try and the door is open."

Lawmakers in Parliament gave a generally positive response to the agreement, with only the hardline Democratic Unionist Party rejecting the deal out of hand. The loyalist Ulster Unionist Party, while critical of certain aspects of the statement, were generally positive about the accord.

There was no immediate response from Sinn Fein, which said it wanted to carry out full consultations within the party before responding, but a spokesman told the British Broadcasting Corp. the agreement fell short of the organization's expectations.

"First impressions are that I'm disappointed," he said. "I think that the document obviously has been prepared over an extended period by the government. So it will require minute discussion and examination. Our party will do that, but already in talking to people there is a sense within the nationalist community of letdown and disappointment."

A senior British official said the language of the accord had not been previously tested with the IRA. The official cautioned against expecting a hasty response from the organization and said he wouldn't rule out the possibility of an upsurge in violence.

"I think we should be patient," the official said. "It may take a while, a few days, maybe longer, before we get any kind of response."

"There will be some struggles within the IRA and they may emanate in some violence," the official added. "It is the outcome of those struggles...We are in dangerous times...One can imagine all sorts of people resorting to violence to try to wreck this."

The Rev. Ian Paisley, leader of the hardline loyalist Democratic Unionist Party, denounced the joint agreement even before it had been formally released, delivering a sharply worded letter to No. 10 Downing Street where Major and Reynolds were meeting. Paisley then read his letter to the press.

"You have sold Ulster to buy off the fiendish Republican scum," he said. "You will learn in a bitter school that all appeasement of these monsters is self?destructive."

The unionist leader said he was outraged that the agreement had been signed even before the burial of two policemen slain in Fivemiletown in Northern Ireland over the weekend. Major later said he also was angry over the killing, but he said the joint declaration was aimed at ending such violence.

"My message to those who are not yet convinced is they should read the declaration. It really is time for Ireland, politicians and people alike, not just to look back at their history but to look forward to their future. And that is what I hope they will do."

Reynolds and Major both argued the declaration does not remove anyone's political rights and remains true to the Northern Ireland policies supported by their respective governments.

The declaration said any decision about the future of the province, whether it unites with Ireland or remains in the United Kingdom, would have to be decided with the consent of a majority of the citizens of Northern Ireland.

The declaration also hints that Reynolds will consider seeking constitutional changes to eliminate any barriers to the negotiations on the future of the province. Loyalists have demanded the Irish constitution be amended to end Dublin's claim of sovereignty over Northern Ireland.

Major later underscored that point while briefing Parliament on the agreement. Paisley scolded the prime minister for failing to secure a commitment from Reynolds to amend the Irish constitution, but Major insisted the language clearly indicated the Irish leader was open to constitutional change.