Lynch and Heath in cautious talks

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32705, 7 September 1971, Page 17

Lynch and Heath in cautious talks

(NZT. A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, September 6. The explosive Northern Ireland situation today will bring the Prime Ministers of Britain and the Irish Republic, Mr Edward Heath and Mr Jack Lynch, to a delicate summit meeting.

The exchange of views, taking place at Mr. Heath’s invitation in his Chequers country home outside London, is being held against a background of two years of intermittent violence and disorders in the British-ruled province.

What began as largely pressure for civil rights concessions for Northern Ireland’s Roman Catholic minority from the ruling Protestant Unionist Party in Belfast grew into a violent campaign by extremists for union with the independent and Roman Catholic Irish Republic to the south.

The terrorism directed at British peace-keeping troops but including civilian victims has intensified over the last month since the provincial Government rounded up suspected members of the militant wing of the outlawed Irish Republican Army (1.R.A.), the Provisionals. Both cautious No spectacular results are expected from the meeting later today but both Mr Heath and Mr Lynch are approaching it with caution and have consulted leading ministerial colleagues beforehand.

y One idea of Mr Lynch’s g Government has already received a frosty reception in * London. This was that Brill tain and the Irish Republic r should jointly ask for United (■ Nations observers to patrol the border between the republic and Northern Ireland. * Informed British sources 1 stressed that Northern Iret land was an integral part of . the United Kingdom whose ' border was not in dispute. : There was no case for intervention of any kind, these sources indicated. . Nevertheless, the notion of ’ stamping out violence in NorJ them Ireland and cutting ; off military supplies reaching ‘ the gunmen from the Re- ’ public is likely to be spelt i out by Mr Heath in his talks ’ with Mr Lynch. Political steps The leader of the Irish Rea public, in his turn, will dis»count suggestions that his r border security patrols were 8 ineffective and will instead i press for political steps tp- ’ wards a solution of the crisis, - observers consider. Both Prime Ministers are believed to want relations between their two nations, knit so closely economically and in other ways to become more cordial after recent bitter exchanges over the Northern Ireland crisis. ' Today’s meeting may be the first of a series aimed at seeking a co-operative approach to the problems. Meanwhile, bomb explo- . sions during the night caused '■ more injuries and damage in j Northern Ireland. Six persons, t including three firemen, were . hurt in a blast at a factory in Belfast. Two sisters, aged t 15 and 12, were injured when . a bomb blew out one door sof a grocery supermarket j next to their home.

Gelignite bomb In Londonderry, the province’s second largest town, a gelignite bomb was thrown at British troops but no-one was hurt The Provisional I.R.A. last night issued a statement calling on Britain to accept a five-point plan which included abolition of the existing Protestant Government in Belfast. Free elections for a new regional government would be a first step towards a new Government structure

> for all Ireland, the statement said. i The Provisionals promised to suspend their military ; campaign if their proposals I were accepted by Mr Heath I by September 9, otherwise • resistance would be intensified, they stated. . The demands were curtly

rejected by a Northern Ireland Government spokesman in Belfast who told reporters, "We do not do deals with murderers or make comments on their actions.”