SINN FÉIN is to hold a
series of nine public meetings across the North
starting next week to mark the tenth anniversary of
the Good Friday Agreement on April 8, 2008
Sinn Féin West Tyrone MP Pat Doherty said the
meetings would provide his party with an opportunity
to give an assessment of the progress made so far.
"Direct engagement with local communities is a
crucial element of Sinn Féin's political strategy of
ensuring that people have a real sense of ownership
of the political process and these meetings will
provide the public with an opportunity to engage
directly with Sinn Féin Ministers and other senior
party figures.
"This series of meetings is also the follow up to a
commitment given by Gerry Adams, at the time of Sinn
Féin's special Ard Fheis on policing last year, that
one year on the party leadership would report back
on the progress made on policing as well as
providing the public the opportunity to question us
on our stewardship of the process," said Mr.
Doherty. Meanwhile, the party leader Gerry Adams
said substantial progress had been made in relation
to a whole range of areas including policing,
demilitarisation, human rights and equality.
"Crucially the Good Friday Agreement, with its
inclusive process and power sharing governmental
structures, is the framework within which the
current political institutions work. "There are also
outstanding issues still unresolved and some of
these are directly affected by the process of
leadership change taking place within the DUP. These
include the transfer of powers on policing and
justice, Irish language rights and issues of
equality and human rights.
"Despite this Sinn Fein believes that more progress
will be made in the time ahead. Sinn Fein expects
the DUP and the two governments to honour the
commitments they have entered into," said Mr. Adams.
The times and venues of the meetings are as follows:
Tues, 8th Apr, Belfast (The Europa Hotel) at 7.30pm;
Sunday 13th April - Strabane (Fountain St Community
Centre) - 8pm; Tues 15th April - Upper Bann (Asbourne
Hotel, Lurgan) - 8pm; Weds 16th April - Derry (The
Guildhall) - 8pm; Thurs 17th April - Toomebridge
(The Elk) - 8pm; Fri 18th April - Fermanagh (The
Slieve Russell) - 8pm; Sun 20th April - Down (The
Downshire Arms Hotel, Hilltown) - 8pm; Tues 22nd
April - Newry Armagh (Silverbridge Resource Centre)
- 8pm and Weds 23rd April - Galbally (Galbally
Community Centre) - 8pm. |
