26 October 2000 Edition

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Mála Poist

Israeli shoot-to-kill time out?



A Chairde,

Israeli prime minister, Mr Barak, has called for a ``Time Out'' on the peace process. Would he please also call a ``Time Out'' on the shooting of unarmed Palestinian children?

Dr Seán Marlow,

Ballymun,

Dublin

PS I suppose it's too much to ask the UN to act on Resolution 242, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation, in the same way that they acted on UN resolutions on Iraq and Yugoslavia.


Talking Nonsense



A Chairde,

I would be grateful if you could afford me the oppertunity in your newspaper (this luxury is not afforded to me in the local rag-mag!) to respond to Ruairi Quinn's recent comments in an ``Ireland on Sunday'' interview regarding the future of the Patten proposals.

The Labour Party leader stated during his interview that the ``RUC'' has to be changed totally and dramatically under Patten'', but followed this up a little while later during one of his routine, blind, apathetic attacks on Sinn Féin that ``it was not realistic to push a pattern to a point where Sinn Féin along with the SDLP would be able to recommend that young republicans and nationalists would be able to join the force.''

Perhaps I could remind Mr Quinn that one of the primary reasons why I, along with 2,119,548 other voters on this island, voted for the Good Friday Agreement was for real and a peaceful change. It is an absolute necessity that the already internationally discreditied secretarian police force, the RUC, are consigned to the annals of history, and that a newly formed police force that can be represented by equally, and accepted totally by both sides of the comunity is brought about. This is enshrined within the framework of the Agreement. With outdated off-the-wall views such as this, perhaps he should consider a cross-border alliance with his like-minded cohorts within the DUP.

On a departing note, I feel that the time has cme for Mr Quinn to stop waving about his stabbing sword and replace it in its sheath, or do the honourable thing and fall on it.

Eamonn Long

Wicklow, Sinn Féin

Wicklow Town

An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland