Sinn Féin endorses PSNI by overwhelming majority
Mark Hennessy, Gerry Moriarty and Dan Keenan
Sinn Féin has voted by an overwhelming majority to endorse the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the rule of law in the North.
An extraordinary Sinn Féin ardfheis at the RDS in Dublin yesterday endorsed a motion driven by Sinn Féin leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness to support policing.
The final decision of the ardfheis was never in doubt from the opening speeches by Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness. But the extent of the victory, with over 90 per cent of the 982 voting delegates supporting the motion, caused surprise.
"The decision we have taken today is truly historic," said Mr Adams. "This is one of the most important debates in the history of republicanism and of this country," he added.
"Let's not be upset by how others respond to today's decision. The higher they build their barriers the stronger we become," he said in a reference to how the DUP will respond.
"This ardfheis acted in the national interest. We look to others to do the same in the time ahead," he added.
The pressure will now fall on the DUP leader, Rev Ian Paisley, to state whether he would be prepared to enter into a powersharing Stormont administration with him as first minister and Mr McGuinness as deputy first minister on March 26th.
That pressure is likely to be intensified based on an Independent Monitoring Commission report on IRA activity tomorrow, which sources say will be positive.
Dr Paisley's initial response indicated that any potential positive DUP response will not happen before Assembly elections on March 7th.
"Only with real delivery can the way be cleared for a full return to democracy, and the facing up to the everyday needs and requirements of the people of Northern Ireland," Dr Paisley said.
Delegates spoke over four to one in favour of the motion put forward by the ardchomhairle. Nearly 1,000 delegates were entitled to vote at the ardfheis, though another 2,000 had visiting rights. Delegates queued from before 9am to gain entry to the RDS venue.
The motion "commits fully" to support for the PSNI and the criminal justice system, and to take up places on the Policing Board and the district policing partnership boards.
However, it is qualified because the party's ardchomhairle has been mandated to implement it only if powersharing is established and when satisfactory arrangements to transfer policing and justice powers are agreed - or failing that to support the PSNI when new British-Irish "partnership arrangements" are in place.
The Sinn Féin ardchomhairle will discuss the issue in Dublin tomorrow.
Urging delegates to vote in favour, Mr McGuinness said: "You have a decision to make and it is a big decision. Today is decision day when Sinn Féin moves decisively forward."
The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the British prime minister, Tony Blair, will meet at Downing Street tomorrow.
The transitional Assembly is also due to be dissolved at midnight tonight, triggering the Assembly elections for March 7th.
Welcoming Sinn Féin's decision, Mr Ahern said it was a landmark move that "opened the way for inclusive support for policing throughout Northern Ireland. That is profoundly in the interests of everybody". He said the timetable set out at St Andrews must be kept.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the vote "should be matched by the DUP committing to restoration [of the executive] and powersharing".
© 2007 The Irish Times
Badge of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin's support of the PSNI is considered crucial to getting devolution working again.Sinn Féin, the Irish political party widely regarded as the political wing of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, has voted to accept the Police Service of Northern Ireland at an ''ard fheis'' (party conference) held in Dublin. 982 party members voted on the motion at the conference, where over 2,500 people were in attendance. 

Surprisingly, over 90% voted in support of the motion after leadership forced a vote to cut short a six hour debate. Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams called the decision was truly historic, saying, "Today you have created the potential to change the political landscape on this island forever."

The vote is historic due to the fact that Irish republicans viewed the police and the legal system in Northern Ireland as a unit of British rule since the partition of Ireland in 1921. In fact, from the start of the troubles to the ceasefire in the late 1990s, the Provisional IRA had fought the PSNI's predecessor, the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Last Monday, a report released by Nuala O'Loan, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland confirmed collusion between the RUC and the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force.

He also he was also willing to meet with dissident Irish republicans such as the Continuity IRA and it's political wing, Republican Sinn Féin; and also the Real IRA, who was responsible for the 1998 Omagh bombing, saying " However, Adams also claimed at a rally on Friday, he felt, "In my opinion, there is only one IRA, and that's the one which fought the British for a very long time." 

However, the Continuity IRA and Republican Sinn Féin rejected Adams' offer. Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, the Republican Sinn Féin president said, "Ultimately, it is the British government which will recruit, it is the British government which will train, motivate, and above all who will pay and give the orders to such a police force."

A statement from Downing Street said that British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the "historic decision and recognised the leadership it has taken to get to this point". Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern called the vote a "landmark decision," and that it "has opened the way to Northern Ireland power-sharing."

Blair and Ahern will meet at Downing Street tomorrow.

Sinn Féin's support of policing was one of the obstacles to the devolution process, the other is Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party commitment to power-sharing. The acceptance of the police is what Blair and Ahern believe is crucial to persuade the DUP into setting up a new government.

Ian Paisley said his stand "forced Sinn Féin to recognize support for the police and the rule of law as an issue of paramount importance for which there can be no other way" and that "Sinn Féin must now walk this road, the time for true, visible and open support for the police and law enforcement has arrived."

Some Democratic Unionists believe that Sinn Féin had only made a commitment in words only and that people in Sinn Féin power bases would not report crimes. 

Peter Hain, Northern Ireland secretary said the vote was a breakthrough. PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde welcomed the decision also.  Professor Sir Desmond Rea, the chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board hoped to see Sinn Féin join the board. 

Sir Reg Empey, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party said it was "a massive step change in the republican psyche."

Social Democratic and Labour Party leader, Mark Durkan said "They now need to sign with no ifs or buts. As Gerry Adams now accepts, nationalist areas need policing."

The transitional assembly at Stormont is due to be dissolved tomorrow in preparation for elections on March 7. However, if the process goes astray and no election occurs, the assembly will be dissolved and remain dissolved indefinitely.

Finally, the Indepdent Monitoring commission is due to release a report on the IRA's commitment to the peace process according to the British and Irish governments.