Royal visit to Northern Ireland spotlights stalled peace process

April 12, 2000
Web posted at: 4:43 a.m. EDT (0843 GMT)

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From staff and wire reports

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled Wednesday to honor members of a police force caught in the middle of the province's stalled peace process.

Security forces have gone on high alert for possible attacks by renegade guerrillas during the rare visit by Britain's head of state to bestow the George Cross, Britain's highest civilian award for bravery, on the police force called the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

VIDEO CNN's Nic Robertson has background on the RUC. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     MESSAGE BOARD Peace in Northern Ireland?

But many Northern Ireland Catholics resent the mostly protestant RUC, which is in the process of following reforms under the 1998 peace agreement among Belfast, London, Dublin and Sinn Fein, the political arm of the mostly Catholic Irish Republican Army.

"What we have here," said Jeffery Donaldson of the Ulster Unionist Party, "are politically motivated reforms which have nothing to do with delivering a better police service and have everything to do with meeting a the political agenda of a very small but vocal minority."

Of the 175 proposed changes in the police force, it is a new name and insignia that generate the most resentment. The RUC will drop the word "royal" from its name, an affront to those loyal to Great Britain.

Unless those two proposals are dropped, the main protestant political party has vowed not to rejoin the suspended provincial government.

Pro-British unionists say the changes insult the 302 officers killed in 30 years of sectarian violence that took 3,600 lives.

Supporters say the reforms aim to build cross-community support for police and include recruiting more Catholics to boost the 8 percent who already belong to the 13,000 member force.

Northern Ireland's police chief questions whether police reform is racing ahead of political and social reform.

"Is society ready to accept the challenge that is presented to it?" said RUC Chief Constable Ronald Flanagan. "Are they ready to spontaniously come forward and work in open partnership with us? Because if that partnership is not there then policing suffers."

A group called Relatives for Justice, representing families of Catholics killed by the force, said the queen's honor Wednesday highlights the grief of RUC widows while ignoring their own.

"It is not conducive to the atmosphere of peace building. It is sending the wrong signal," spokesman Mark Thompson said.

Political analysts say the queen's trip is choreographed to ceremonially honor the RUC for past service while stressing that the force must adapt quickly to changing times.

Irish Republic Prime Minister Bertie Ahern told parliament in Dublin on Tuesday that his government and Britain hoped to finalize a joint position by the weekend mapping out a possible way forward for the stalled Northern Ireland peace process.

Correspondent Nic Robertson and Reuters contributed to this report.

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