A Fragile Hope

Peace is nowhere a more fragile or elusive Grail than in Northern Ireland, where the mood of the warring Catholic and Protestant communities can swing violently. But last week, for a while at least, peace seemed a bit closer, as one of the two rival wings of the Irish Republican Army drew back from the brink of what had seemed an incipient civil war. In a dramatic policy announcement, the Marxist-leaning Official wing of the I.R.A. said that "in view of the growing danger of sectarian conflict," it was suspending "all military action" in Northern Ireland unless attacked by British troops or local Protestant forces.

The Officials' peace bid was quickly denounced by the larger and more active Provisional wing of the I.R.A. "They say they're putting down their guns," sneered one Provo. "But since when did they ever take them up?" Nonetheless, the Officials' cease-fire was a shrewd political move because it capitalized on the Catholic population's growing dissatisfaction with the continued violence.

The Dublin government of Prime

Minister Jack Lynch increased the pressure on the I.R.A. by arresting three top Provo leaders based in the South (Chief of Staff Sean MacStiofain, however, managed to escape). Lynch explained that he had decided to crack down on the Proves because "peace initiatives have not been given a chance."

Another hopeful sign was the changing position of the major Catholic opposition group, the Social Democratic and Labor Party. The S.D.L.P. had been boycotting political talks with William Whitelaw, Britain's proconsul in Ulster, until he released the remaining 541 people held without trial under the detention law. But last week the party urged Catholics to resume their participation in local civic bodies and cooperate with the Whitelaw administration. "It is time," said the S.D.L.P., "for gestures of generosity from all sides, including the men of violence."

Unfortunately, Ulster's Protestant militants seemed to be listening to a different drummer as they drilled openly in the streets of Belfast. The Rev. Ian Paisley called on British troops to "leave their defensive role and go into action against the murderers and rebels." He meant that the British should take charge of Londonderry's Catholic "nogo" areas, where the I.R.A. maintains barricades and checkpoints.

Whitelaw has deliberately avoided an open clash with the I.R.A. by keeping troops and police patrols out of the no-go areas. Last week, in pursuit of his peace-keeping efforts, British troops massed to block a huge Protestant parade in Londonderry from crossing the Foyle River estuary and invading the Catholic areas that lie beyond. Unless the Protestants showed some moderation on their side, the recent signs of Catholic desire for peace would vanish in an instant.

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