State papers: John Hume drafted IRA ceasefire statement

Previously classified documents made available by the National Archives, shows Mr Hume prepared the draft statement for the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, with the hope that he could be persuaded to enter all-party talks. File Photo: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The SDLP leader John Hume drafted a statement on behalf of the IRA in late 1996 announcing a new ceasefire by republican paramilitaries, confidential State papers have revealed.

Previously classified documents made available by the National Archives, shows Mr Hume prepared the draft statement for the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, with the hope that he could be persuaded to enter all-party talks.

They also revealed that the SDLP leader informed the then-Taoiseach, John Bruton, that the statement committed the IRA “to unequivocally restoring their ceasefire, and it would go on to say that it was now the clear intention of the IRA to end the armed struggle in Ireland forever”. 

Mr Hume said he had drafted the document following a meeting with the British prime minister, John Major.

He claimed the Conservative leader had a “range of difficulties and was consulting widely”, although Mr Hume personally believed Mr Major was consulting too widely. “Many of the same people likely to oppose a renewal of the ceasefire were Eurosceptics,” observed the Foyle MP.

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Mr Hume was recorded as claiming Mr Major stated he needed a signal from the IRA that they would be really serious about any renewed ceasefire. However, he was not sure what such a signal might constitute and had asked the SDLP leader for ideas.

Mr Hume said it had provided him with the idea to pen a draft statement for the IRA which contained strong commitments, including making it clear that the talks process which would follow would lead to agreement on new political arrangements.

He claimed the next step would be for the Sinn Féin president to hopefully come back to him with approval for the draft statement which would allow him then to go back to the British prime minister.

Asked by the Taoiseach if Mr Adams was in control and able to deliver the republican movement, Mr Hume replied that he simply did not know, but was acting on the assumption that the Sinn Féin leader could do it.