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12 April 2007 Edition

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Building the Republic

Last weekend, as is the case every year, Irish republicans gathered at monuments and graveyards across the 32 Counties and abroad to honour the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916 and all those who have died in the cause of Irish freedom since then.
Republicans throughout Ireland have never stopped commemorating 1916, a momentous event in Irish and world history.  As we approach the countdown to the 100th anniversary of the Rising, republicans must re-popularise the ideals and the message of 1916.
It is only right and proper that the 26 County state has resumed commemorations of the Easter Rising. But the build up to 2016 should not only be about commemorations. The Irish Government has a duty to prepare for Irish unity. Sinn Féin is committed to ensuring that this happens.
We are living in a time of hope and opportunity for republican ideals and objectives. As at many times in the past, republicans are shaping Irish history.
The republican peace strategy, now more than a decade old has seen a move from armed struggle to political negotiations and now political agreement between Irish republican representatives and the unionist political leadership.
On 8 May the Six County Assembly will be convened. A government jointly led by Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley will be established. Republicans will be exercising real political power.
Republicans have always contended that true national unity crucially involves the coming together of the people of Ireland to build our own future together. We seek a real process of national reconciliation and a coming together of all our people.
The Irish Government has a key role to play in this. It needs to start to legislate for the rights of all citizens on the island of Ireland. Political representatives from the Six Counties, nationalist and unionist, must be afforded the opportunity to participate in the political institutions of the 26 Counties as of right.
Just as republicans had a strategy to reach political agreement, we have a strategy for the next phase in our struggle – a roadmap for Irish unity. We must continue to seize the opportunities created by our strategies and continue our forward momentum.
Sinn Féin is changing the political landscape in Ireland. As the party prepares for a crucially important general election in the 26 Counties, it stands ready for government North and South. The aim is to bring about a real national government in Ireland.
Sinn Féin will go in to government, guided by the ideals of the 1916 Proclamation and determined to deliver equality, social justice and an end to the partition of our country. Ready to work with others towards these goals, Sinn Féin's clear task is to build the Republic proclaimed in 1916.

An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland