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Date Posted: Wed, Jan 17 2007, 12:09:16 PST
Author: iapl_newsroom32@hotmail.com
Subject: PSF' s pro-partition motion to Ard Fheis


TEXT OF SINN FEIN POLICING MOTION TO ARD FHEIS
2007-01-14 14:38:00.0 EST

The following is the full text of a motion proposed by the
Sinn Fein leadership for the upcoming ard fheis (Party
Convention).

============================================================
This Ard Fheis reiterates Sinn Féin's political commitment
to bringing about Irish re-unification and the full
integration of political, economic, social and cultural life
on the island.


This Ard Fheis supports civic policing through a police
service which is representative of the community it serves,
free from partisan political control and democratically
accountable.


We support fair, impartial and effective delivery of the
rule of law.


The changes to policing secured in legislation need to be
implemented fully. The truth about wrongdoing by British
military, intelligence and policing agencies needs to be
uncovered and acknowledged. Sinn Féin supports the demands
for this from the families of victims.


The PSNI needs to make strenuous efforts to earn the trust
and confidence of nationalists and republicans.


Gardaí corruption and malpractice  which has been exposed
in the Morris Tribunal and the Abbeylara inquiry in the 26
counties  shows the need for constant vigilance and oversight.


These inquiries and the ill-treatment of republicans by the
Garda Special Branch also provide compelling reasons as to
why the responsibility of political parties and
representatives should be to hold the police to account in a
fair and publicly transparent way.


This Ard Fheis is totally opposed to political, sectarian
and repressive policing. The experience of nationalists and
republicans in the Six Counties is of a partisan, unionist
militia which engaged in harassment, torture, assassination,
shoot-to-kill and collusion with death squads.


The Good Friday Agreement requires and defines 'a new
beginning to policing' as an essential element of the peace
process. The Good Friday Agreement also requires
functioning, powersharing and all-Ireland political
institutions.


The British Government have agreed to the transfer of powers
on policing and justice away from Westminster to
locally-elected political institutions and have set out the
departmental model to which these powers will be
transferred. In these circumstances authority over policing
and justice will lie in Ireland.


We note the British Government's new policy statement of 10
January 2007 which removes MI5 from policing structures in
Ireland. This removes the proposals to embed MI5 into civic
policing and removes the danger of again creating a force
within a force.


We note also the commitment by PSNI Chief Constable Hugh
Orde that plastic bullets will not be used for purposes of
public order/crowd control and his acknowledgement of the
hurt resulting from injuries and death of innocent people
including children.


These weapons should never be used again. Sinn Féin will
continue to campaign for a total ban. This Ard Fheis notes
the refusal of the DUP leader Ian Paisley to publicly commit
to power-sharing and participation in the all-Ireland
political institutions by 26 March 2007.


Before the Ard Chomhairle meeting on 29 December the DUP had
agreed words which they would release in response to the Ard
Chomhairle accepting the policing motion put by the Party
President. We note the DUP's failure to keep to this commitment.


It is clear that elements of the DUP are determined to use
policing and other issues to prevent progress, resist
powersharing and equality and oppose any all-Ireland
development. This is unacceptable. It is the responsibility
of the two Governments and pro-Agreement parties across the
island to resist this and to ensure the full implementation
of the Good Friday Agreement.


Sinn Fein is committed to justice. Sinn Fein is committed to
law and order and to stable and inclusive partnership
government, and, in good faith and in a spirit of genuine
partnership, to the full operation of stable power-sharing
government and the north south and east west arrangements
set out in the Good Friday Agreement.


The responsibility of the police is to defend and uphold the
rights of citizens. In order to fulfil this role they
require critical support.


Sinn Féin reiterates our support for An Garda Síochána and
commits fully to:


" Support for the PSNI and the criminal justice system.

" Hold the police and criminal justice systems north and
south fully to account, both democratically and legally, on
the basis of fairness and impartiality and objectivity.

" Authorise our elected representatives to participate in
local policing structures in the interests of justice, the
quality of life for the community and to secure policing
with the community as the core function of the PSNI and
actively encouraging everyone in the community to co-operate
fully with the police services in tackling crime in all
areas and actively supporting all the criminal justice
institutions.

" The devolution of policing and justice to the Assembly.

" Equality and human rights at the heart of the new
dispensation and to pursue a shared future in which the
culture, rights and aspirations of all are respected and
valued, free from sectarianism, racism and intolerance


To achieve this the Ard Chomhairle is hereby mandated to:

" Appoint Sinn Féin representatives to the Policing Board
and the District Policing Partnership Boards to ensure that:

- a civic policing service, accountable and representative
of the community is delivered as quickly as possible,

- the Chief Constable and the PSNI are publicly held to account,

- policing with the community is achieved as the core
function of the PSNI,

- political policing, collusion and "the force within a
force" is a thing of the past and to oppose any involvement
by the British Security Service/MI5 in civic policing.


" Ensure Sinn Fein representatives robustly support the
demands for:

- equality of treatment for all victims and survivors,

- effective truth recovery mechanisms,

- acknowledgement by the British State of its involvement in
wrongdoing including collusion with loyalist paramilitaries,

- to ensure that there is no place in the PSNI for those
guilty of human rights abuses,


" Resolutely oppose the use of lethal weapons in public
order situations


" Authorise Sinn Féin Ministers to take the ministerial
Pledge of Office.


" Achieve accountable all-Ireland policing structures.


The Ard Chomhairle recommends:

That this Ard Fheis endorses the Ard Chomhairle motion. That
the Ard Chomhairle is mandated to implement this motion only
when the power-sharing institutions are established and when
the Ard Chomhairle is satisfied that the policing and
justice powers will be transferred. Or if this does not
happen within the St Andrews timeframe, only when acceptable
new partnership arrangements to implement the Good Friday
Agreement are in place.


ENDS

________________________________________________________

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