Mitchell Urges On N. Ireland Talks
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — The U.S. chairman of faltering Northern Ireland peace talks urged participants Tuesday to get down to business or risk a return of the worst violence the British province has seen in years.
Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell said in a statement after daylong consultations that he wanted participants “to continue with the talks and to do so with a sense of urgency and increased determination.â€
It was Mitchell’s first statement since violence erupted between Protestants and Roman Catholics last week over an Orange Order march through a predominantly Catholic neighborhood. One person died in the protests, and 17 people were injured when a tourist hotel was bombed.
The statement by Mitchell, President Clinton’s envoy to Northern Ireland, reflected widespread concern that the talks, which started on June 12, have been ensnared in procedural disputes while the province has endured its worst violence in years.
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