Sinn Fein To Protest At Westminster
Sinn Fein MPs Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are heading to Westminster to stage a public protest about being denied access to the House of Commons.
The protest could delay an historic meeting planned between Sinn Fein and
senior officials, following Prime Minister Tony Blair's offer of talks
aimed at boosting the Northern Ireland peace process.
The two were barred from the Palace of Westminster because they refused to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the Queen, which means they cannot take their seats in the House of Commons.The ban, which was ruled by Betty Boothroyd, Speaker of the Commons, scuppered a plan by the two Sinn Fein MPs to use office facilities and free telephones at Westminster.
"I do believe that there must be many people in Britain and many British parliamentarians who have grave reservations about the decisions that have been taken by Betty Boothroyd in the course of the last week," said Mr McGuinness MP for Mid Ulster.
"We will be there to secure our entitlements as elected representatives of
the people of West Belfast and Mid-Ulster and to explain to British
parliamentarians and the authorities at Westminster that we believe, as the
elected representatives ... that we are entitled to be supported so that our
people will not be disadvantaged and not be discriminated against by the British Parliament."
The Sinn Fein delegation at the talks which are expected to be held later in the week will be led by Mr McGuinness. The Mid Ulster MP was initially hostile to Mr Blair's offer denouncing it as pro-unionist, but he has agreed that the decision to allow talks could get the Northern Ireland peace process back on track.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, who met Irish Government officials in Dublin
yesterday, also said he wanted the discussions to be held without any delay.
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