Government’s ‘private understanding with Sinn Féin’ revealed – and NIO won’t say if it remains in place
Declassified Government file discovered by Belfast Telegraph raises questions, but the Northern Ireland Office doesn’t want to answer them
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams pictured in October 2001 - just a few months after the Government's 'private understanding' with his party. Photo: Jeff Moore
The Government had a “private understanding with Sinn Féin” – and recorded it in written form – that it would set up an “informal implementation group” for the Good Friday Agreement at which the republican party would have special status.
The revelation comes in declassified Government files in The National Archives which have been discovered by the Belfast Telegraph.
