Republicans 'working for a peaceful summer'

Republicans are going to do everything they can to ensure that Northern Ireland has another peaceful summer, a Sinn Féin source insisted today.

Republicans said they were already putting in place arrangements to keep peace on the streets.

“We are going to endeavour, and we have already put in place efforts, to ensure that that is the case this year,” the source said.

It came as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair continued to focus on breaking the deadlock over power sharing ahead of this June’s European Parliament Election and a potentially volatile marching season.

Last year, Northern Ireland enjoyed one of its quietest summers in recent memory and there was relief that flashpoint areas of Belfast and other towns and cities did not experience the sort of sectarian clashes along the peaceline or during parades by the Orange Order and other Protestant marching organisations.

Loyalist and republican activists were praised for their efforts in reducing tensions along interface areas such as Short Strand in east Belfast and Ardoyne in the north of the city.

However, earlier this month at the cross-community Alliance Party’s conference, Northern Ireland’s most senior policeman Chief Constable Hugh Orde urged all sides not to take for granted that this summer would be quiet.

The Sinn Féin source said the peaceful summer of last year was the “accumulation of five years' work” involving republicans, loyalist community activists and unionist politicians.

Republicans believe contact in recent months between President Mary McAleese, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and loyalist leaders could “encourage a continuation of that in the time ahead.”

The source said: “We want it to be quiet.

“I don’t think anyone has an appreciation of the number of personal hours republicans put in in the last three or four years and this is an entirely voluntary effort.

“Those republicans who were lucky enough to be in employment were going out at whatever hour of the night, all-night from June, July, August, September, even Christmas.

“So there was a huge amount of effort on our part last year to try and keep a lid on it and we are going to try to do the same this year, and it is very important a lid is kept on all of that.”