Mitchell Panel Trying To Move Talks Along

Thu., Jan. 25, 1996

Compiled From Wire Services

An international panel headed by former senator George Mitchell offered a compromise Wednesday to end the deadlock over Northern Ireland peace talks, suggesting Britain drop its insistence that the Irish Republican Army begin disarming before entering negotiations.

Sinn Fein, the outlawed IRA’s legal political arm, initially embraced the recommendations, issued here by Mitchell and his panel. In Britain, Prime Minister John Major also endorsed the suggestions in a general way. But at the same time, Major proposed an alternative precondition - elections to choose the negotiators - which immediately generated a new controversy that seemed to leave the future of peace talks in as much doubt as ever.

The attempt to bring peace to Northern Ireland has been stalled for months over the IRA’s refusal to begin disposing of weapons as a precondition set by the British government for serious negotiations.

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Mitchell Panel Trying To Move Talks Along

Jesse Tinsley

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