Page 2, 7th November 1975

7th November 1975

Page 2

Page 2, 7th November 1975 — Mr Lynch's irresponsible call to withdraw troops
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Mr Lynch's irresponsible call to withdraw troops

From MARTIN MacMILLAN in BELFAST THERE is no doubt that Mr Jack Lynch, Leader of the Fianna Fail Party and former Prime Minister in the Republic of Ireland, was gravely irresponsible last weekend when he stated that there should be a phased withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland.
He was immediately, and quite justifiably, repudiated by Mr Merlyn Rees, Northern Ireland Secretary of State. Speaking on Leeds Radio, Mr Rees reaffirmed that there could be no question of the withdrawal of troops so long as there was no alternative force for ensuring public safety in Northern Ireland.
Mr I.ynch, like the leaders of Provisional Sinn Fein and the Provisional IRA, seems to think that the presence of the Army is preventing a settlement between the Catholic minority and the Protestant majority in Northern Ireland.
He apparently ignores the fact that the presence of the Army is Northern Ireland's only safeguard against a sectarian civil war. On the other hand, he may realise that the continued presence of British troops is vital.
The withdrawal he has in mind would, it seems, he phased over a long time, not an immediate withdrawal. But that is precisely what Mr Rory Brady, President of Provisional Sinn Fein, has also been saying.
So there are two views on the likely effects of withdrawing the troops — the wildly optimistic view that once the British go Northern Ireland will be at peace, and the more realistic view that when the British withdraw the fight will begin in real earnest.
But equally important is the question of how the Republic of Ireland would react if Britain decided to get out of Northern Ireland. Would Dublin intervene and thus be drawn into an all-Ireland civil war, or would they seal the Border to ensure that the violence did not spread into their territory?
Some recent statements, perhaps not by Mr Lynch himself, but by some of his colleagues in the leadership of the Fianna Fail Party, as well as policy statements by Ministers of the present Coalition Government leave no doubt that Dublin's aim would be to remain neutral.
The present Minister of Defence in the Republic stated recently that the role of the Irish Army would be to defend the Twenty Six counties. A similar statement was made last year by Mr Brian Lenahan, a former Fianna Fail Government Minister.
Dr Conn!. Cruise O'Brien, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in the present Coalition, has repeatedly expressed the view that the Irish Army would be ineffective even if, in the event of British withdrawal, it was decided to send military help to the Catholics north of the Border.
Apart from all that, how does Mr Lynch, or anyone else who has been calling for the withdrawal of British troops, know that the heavily-armed Loyalist para-military
organisations would not mount a campaign of terror into the Twenty Six counties once the British had gone?
Since 1969 Loyalist paramilitary task-forces have been responsible for many murders, bombings and acts of sabotage in the Republic.
The withdrawal of the Army would, therefore, lead to immeasurably more violence .and not, as the optimists seem to imagine, to a peaceful settlement. The plain fact is that the two communities in Northern Ireland are so deeply antagonistic that agreement is almost impossible.




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