Britain readies Lister initiative

Press, 21 November 1979, Page 9

Britain readies Lister initiative

NZPA-Reuter London Britain is about to launch a new initiative in Northern Ireland aimed at getting the feuding Protestant and Roman Catholic communities to work together in local government. The British Prime Minister (Mrs Margaret Thatcher) is setting up a conference of political leaders of the one million Protestants and the 500.000 Roman Catholics. British officials hope it can meet next month. The British, who have

14,000 troops in Northern Ireland, have run the province since 1972, when the ■ Protestant-dominated StorI mont Parliament was abolished after a Roman Catholic civil-rights campaign degenerated into guerrilla war. Mrs Thatcher wants to restore some form of local government, but the official Unionists, the main Protes- : tant party, have already said ) they will not attend the I talks and pessimism is wide- | spread over the initiative’s chances of success. 1

The deadlock hinges on 1 the concept of “power sharing” between the two communities. This would give i the Roman Catholics, although outvoted two-to-one in elections, a virtual power of veto in local affairs. The British will this week I ' take the first step in the in- ) itiative when they issue a )discussion document listing:' the various options. These ( range from restoring a full, parliament down to mere) (strengthening of the exist-: ing, and almost powerless, ]

26 town and rural councils. Political sources in Northern Ireland said Mrs That-) cher, considered to be very) tough and determined, was) in. a mood to impose a set-; tlement on Northern Ireland; if the local politicians failed) to agree. This was borne out by the) Rev. lan Paisley, the most hard-line Protestant leader, who saw Mrs Thatcher in: London last week to press for a tougher onslaught against the Provisional Irish Republican Army guerrillas. ’