02/08/2010

Adams Meets Loyalist Parades Group

There's to be a 'groundbreaking' cross community meeting over parades in the North today.

Gerry Adams is to meet the North and West Belfast Parades Forum along with Gerry Kelly, the North Belfast Sinn Fein MLA and Stormont Junior Minister as well as other party colleagues.

They will discuss the issues around loyal order parades disruption with representatives of the North and West Belfast Parades Forum in Belfast City Hall.

The group represents the organisers of loyalist parades and this is its first meeting with the Sinn Fein President.

It is viewed as an attempt to prevent a repeat of the recent riots in Ardoyne, ahead of a planned Apprentice Boys parade in the same area in a fortnight's time.

It follows an invitation by Gerry Adams for talks with the marching orders.

The Sinn Fein President said his party believed dialogue is the best means of resoling confrontations that occur around a small number of parades: "Sinn Fein is happy to meet with anyone, including the North and West Parades Forum, to discuss matters relating to marches.

"We are also happy to facilitate discussions between those who want to march through areas and the people who live there," he added.

Police officers in Ardoyne came under sustained attack from republican youths throwing bricks and wielding metal bars and planks on the evening of 12 July.

The trouble continued for another two evenings.

(BMcC)

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