Our aim is united Ireland: Adams

The next Government must pursue laws to bring about unity of the island if it wants the support of Sinn Fein, party leader Gerry Adams said today.

The party’s manifesto, launched in Dublin today, declared that Sinn Fein would work towards an ‘‘end to British jurisdiction in Ireland’’ and an ‘‘end to the union’’.

With 37 candidates standing for 34 constituencies, the party is hoping to win a minimum of three seats in the May 17 poll. It currently has just one representative.

But with even a handful of representatives in the Dail, Sinn Fein could hold the balance of power.

Sinn Fein is also confident that a party without an overall majority would call on its members to enter a coalition - although all the main parties have denied this.

Mr Adams, who appeared alongside four high-profile candidates at the manifesto launch in Dublin’s Smithfield, said no future Government could automatically presume the support of Sinn Fein deputies in the Dail.

One of his main priorities was for a Green Paper on Irish unity to be introduced before the Dail, he said, adding: ‘‘I think it is an indictment of all the other parties that in the life of Leinster House there has not been such a paper produced.’’

The incoming Government should ‘‘take a lead’’ on such a policy, he said, adding: ‘‘Bertie Ahern and no one else can take for granted the support of Sinn Fein TDs.

‘‘We will decide as a party who we will support based on the manifesto we are launching today.’’

Despite this priority, the overriding need was to ‘‘bed down and implement the Good Friday Agreement’’, Mr Adams said.

And he added: ‘‘Whoever is looking for our vote is going to have to come up with policies which we think can be to the benefit of the majority of people on this island.’’

The party says in the manifesto section entitled Irish Unity: ‘‘The primary objective at this time has to be to sustain the peace process and to build the political progress and the Good Friday Agreement. But Sinn Fein continues to work for an end to the union and to ensuring that Irish unity becomes a reality.’’

The manifesto disclosed that since the 1998 signing of the Agreement, Sinn Fein had been involved in both public and private talks with the authorities in Ireland, Britain and the United States.

Under the heading Peace Process, the party called for ‘‘rapid progress’’ on the demilitarisation of Northern Ireland by British troops and a ‘‘truly new policing for the six counties’’.

It also called for inquiries into the killings of republicans and nationalists where there was suspicion of British involvement, such as the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings which killed 33 people.