DAY OF RECONCILIATION

Early day motion 369A1, tabled 10 February 2000 by Harry Barnes (Labour). Signed by 4 members.

leave out from 'recognises' to 'and' in line 4 and insert 'that the British and Irish Governments have introduced legislation and other measures to avoid the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons being seen as any sort of surrender and humiliation but that there will probably always be a minority of those who support paramilitary organisations who will never accept any form of decommissioning; further recognises that such measures on decommissioning and new political structures have been supported by the overwhelming majority of the peoples of Ireland in referenda and decommissioning is the settled will of the Irish people and the British people, as evidenced in the referenda and in many opinion polls since; notes that there has been substantial progress on other parts of the Good Friday Agreement, including the phased early release of paramilitary prisoners as well as significant ideological change by the Republican leadership in terms of accepting the consent principle and the Mitchell principles concerning peaceful methods; believes that further demilitarisation measures by the British and Irish Governments could be expedited in a peaceful security environment without conceding any false equivalence between arms held by democratically mandated authorities and those of paramilitary organisations'.

Signatures by party: Labour 3, Conservative 1.