20.12.04
News Letter
Tell People What's Been Agreed - SDLP
Monday 20th December 2004
SDLP leader Mark Durkan has called for greater transparency about the secret negotiations leading up to the " comprehensive agreement".
He said the new "comprehensive agreement" introduces automatic exclusion against any party that registers dissent with the new regime introduced by this deal and the changes to the Belfast Agreement.
"That's automatic exclusion - without a debate, without a vote and without having done anything wrong.
"This is totally unprecedented. It is against the Agreement and it is against the whole principle of inclusion. Inclusion is about respect for difference and respect for all mandates. Automatic exclusion strips away and shatters both of these. "The governments say that it was not the DUP that put automatic exclusion into this deal. We want to know who did and why. Why does any party want others to be automatically excluded - especially when this 'comprehensive agreement' is meant to end all the problems and difficulties of the last few years?
"Surely, the public is entitled to some transparency about this.
"The DUP have been given secret "clarification" on over 40 separate issues from the British Government. Apparently, no other party has seen this clarification."
Tell People What's Been Agreed - SDLP
Monday 20th December 2004
SDLP leader Mark Durkan has called for greater transparency about the secret negotiations leading up to the " comprehensive agreement".
He said the new "comprehensive agreement" introduces automatic exclusion against any party that registers dissent with the new regime introduced by this deal and the changes to the Belfast Agreement.
"That's automatic exclusion - without a debate, without a vote and without having done anything wrong.
"This is totally unprecedented. It is against the Agreement and it is against the whole principle of inclusion. Inclusion is about respect for difference and respect for all mandates. Automatic exclusion strips away and shatters both of these. "The governments say that it was not the DUP that put automatic exclusion into this deal. We want to know who did and why. Why does any party want others to be automatically excluded - especially when this 'comprehensive agreement' is meant to end all the problems and difficulties of the last few years?
"Surely, the public is entitled to some transparency about this.
"The DUP have been given secret "clarification" on over 40 separate issues from the British Government. Apparently, no other party has seen this clarification."
