Doug Beattie: It is welcome that the Northern Ireland Office will not be returning to the Lambeth Palace legacy talks

The secretary of state should be congratulated for providing much needed transparency with regard to any future involvement by NIO officials in any talks or seminars designed to address legacy issues, writes DOUG BEATTIE.
By Doug Beattie
Published 14th Dec 2020, 22:06 BST
Updated 15th Dec 2020, 11:54 BST
Many people have long held the suspicion that there is a culture within the Northern Ireland Office which is subservient to Dublin’s Department of Foreign AffairsMany people have long held the suspicion that there is a culture within the Northern Ireland Office which is subservient to Dublin’s Department of Foreign Affairs
Many people have long held the suspicion that there is a culture within the Northern Ireland Office which is subservient to Dublin’s Department of Foreign Affairs

The Lambeth Palace operation was a textbook example of how not to conduct a talks process; shrouded in secrecy and with a pre-determined outcome, given that it was exploring how to breathe life into the discredited Stormont House Agreement legacy arrangements.

The Lambeth talks included representatives of perpetrators, but deliberately excluded the representatives of innocent victims of the Troubles and as a result, many of those who were present in November were badly compromised by their attendance

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Many people have long held the suspicion that there is a culture within elements of the NIO which is pursuing a particular agenda and is subservient to the wishes of Dublin’s Department of Foreign Affairs, which has paid scant regard to innocent victims of the Troubles.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

I therefore very much welcome the intervention by the secretary of state who has made it clear that before NIO officials are to attend any future legacy discussions, there has to be clarity that victims are represented in the room.”

Doug Beattie MC MLA, Ulster Unionist justice spokesperson

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Related topics:Doug BeattieDoug Beattie MC MLANorthern Ireland