Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion asking Dáil Éireann to reaffirm its support for the Good Friday Agreement. I recognise more than most the benefits that permanent peace can bring to this island home of ours. I am old enough to clearly remember the 30 year period, from the late 1960s to the end of the last century, when more than 3,000 people died and thousands of others took injuries to their graves or still bear the burden of injuries on both sides of the religious and political divide. Fine Gael has a proud record, being the first party to clearly see that this issue could be dealt with through democratic political means. Unfortunately, when the Sunningdale Agreement was signed by the then Taoiseach, Mr. Liam Cosgrave, and the late Mr. Brian Faulkner, other so-called democrats went out of their way to make it unworkable.

In the 1980s Fine Gael, led by the then Taoiseach, Mr. Garret FitzGerald, followed through with the Anglo-Irish Agreement. At that time, the main Opposition party went out of its way to condemn that agreement, to the extent of sending people to the United States to undermine it. Of course, records will show that 12 months later, while in Government, the same party fully operated the agreement which brought about a new and workable structure on this island. IFI funding came about because of that agreement and the European funding for peace that came from the Good Friday Agreement has also been of benefit. I sought IRA decommissioning, which recently occurred, since the Good Friday Agreement was signed. I wish to make it clear to the people in the Public Gallery that I did not seek it for the sake of decommissioning. They are welcome here and I would be happy to see them in this House rather than at the activities in which they were previously involved.

It is equally important to finalise policing structures. It is clear that many young Catholic men and women are prepared and eager to join the ranks of the PSNI. It is vital that personnel come from all areas and backgrounds because without proper policing and control of racketeering it would be difficult to have constructive peace. To this end, I believe a strong policing presence should be along the Border, both North and South. It is unacceptable to me and most right-thinking people that robbery with the use of balaclavas, knives and iron bars should happen in broad daylight, or at any other time of day for that matter.

I sought to recall the Dáil on 10 August, without apology, because I was extremely anxious that deals were being done that far exceeded what people voted on in the Good Friday Agreement referenda. My request is more justified now than ever, when we read correspondence sent from the Taoiseach's office and hear what has been stated by the leadership of Sinn Féin regarding special rights. They claim to have agreement on speaking rights in the Dáil Chamber under the guise of a committee. My party has worked with the British Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body and all other agreed structures. It is vital that we finalise the aspects of the Good Friday Agreement and get the Assembly up and running and ensure that structures used are inclusive rather than perhaps aggravating some sections of the Northern Ireland community solely for the benefit of one party rather than for the common good.

Fine Gael has given total support to Government negotiations through the normal and proper structures and will continue to do so. However, there must be no side deals and no effort to jump ahead until what was agreed in the Good Friday Agreement is brought to full fruition. The full working of the Assembly and the cross-Border bodies brings tremendous benefits to all the people of the island. That is what we voted for in the referenda and that is what was agreed in the Good Friday Agreement, that we would accept that in the short term we would work within the current structure in Northern Ireland. Now some people wish to ignore that and jump ahead.

I will support the Government amendment tomorrow night.

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