Word: sinn
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...days after an I.R.A. bomb killed two people in London , the leader of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, was on the hustings, attempting to salvage his credibility as a peacemaker. As well he might. After the I.R.A. declared its cease-fire in August 1994, it was Adams who traipsed the world, telling the likes of Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg and Bill Clinton in Washington that violence had been banished from Ulster politics. The cease-fire, he insisted, was "complete." Peace talks could begin without the fear of I.R.A. guns under the table. Now the bombing...
...statements Adams distanced Sinn Fein from the attack, saying responsibility must rest with the I.R.A. But he refused to condemn the I.R.A. directly. To do so would violate the republican code of honor and mean the end of his relationship with the movement. Rather, Adams set out to explain the reasons why--regrettably--the I.R.A. had returned to violence. "Everybody knew that the British government was involved in brinkmanship and the cease-fire was ready to pop at any time," he said. "The British broke the commitments they made when the I.R.A. agreed to the cease-fire. They promised...
Still, Adams has been stung by the fierce backlash from the bomb. The Irish and British governments have banned all high-level contacts with him and Sinn Fein until the cease-fire is restored. The Americans have not gone that far, but they will soon have to face a tough decision if Adams applies for a visa to visit the U.S. Clinton's decision to grant Adams his first visa, in February 1994, was an enormous step in giving him international stature. The Administration says it will base its decision on the results of Adams' efforts to restart the peace...
Within hours there were signs of a return to the bad old days. In Belfast police were issued rifles for the first time in more than a year. Meanwhile, speculation swirled over whether the explosion signals a rift between the I.R.A.'s military council and Sinn Fein, the group's political arm. Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein's president, moved swiftly to distance himself from the bomb and tried to get negotiations back on track. But the possibility that Adams was unable to prevent the attack--or, worse, that he may not have even known about it--calls into question...
...election of a special British peace-negotiating assembly before resuming all-party negotiations, Irish Prime Minister John Bruton believes waiting for elections will inflame Irish fustrations with the already slow pace of the talks. Time's Barry Hillenbrand says the bomb is the manifestation of a disagreement between Sinn Fein, the legal political wing of the IRA that initiated negotiations and the militant IRA Army Council. "The Army Council has delivered a message of frustration with the slow peace talks. They have decided to go back to war. No one really knows, however, what the IRA intends...