James Morrison's Embassy Row.
Washington Times, December 20, 2001.
The U.S. ambassador to Britain criticized Gerry Adams for a visit to
Cuba but said his Sinn Fein political party has been helpful in efforts to bring
peace to Northern Ireland.
Ambassador William Farish noted that Mr. Adams' visit to Havana this
week followed the arrest in Colombia last summer of Niall Connolly, Sinn Fein's
representative in Cuba, along with two suspected members of the Irish Republican
Army.
Sinn Fein is the political wing of the IRA.
Colombian authorities have accused all three of assisting the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
"You combine Colombia and September 11 and now the visit to Cuba,
it certainly isn't a positive thing," Mr. Farish said Tuesday on a visit to
Belfast.
However, he added, Sinn Fein helped advance the Northern Irish peace
process by persuading the IRA to begin disarming.
"We are looking at the big picture," Mr. Farish said. "We
are moving forward, and I think there have been things Sinn Fein have done in
the near recent time that have been very positive, and that is what we are
after." |