The Miami Herald
December 19, 2001

Gerry Adams and Fidel Castro hold marathon talks on North Ireland peace process

 HAVANA -- (AP) -- Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams toured a Cuban children's hospital Wednesday morning after marathon talks with President Fidel Castro about the current situation in Northern Ireland.

 ``The Sinn Fein delegation left the discussions very impressed by the president's openness and willingness to discuss every and any issue including human rights, civil
 and religious liberties, democratic rights and entitlements internationally,'' Adams said after the talks, that lasted more than five hours.

 The meeting, which stretched into the early hours of Wednesday, took place as Sinn Fein celebrated being given House of Commons facilities following a vote at
 Westminster Tuesday night.

 Adams, the West Belfast MP, said Sinn Fein would use its offices at Westminster to promote British withdrawal from Northern Ireland.

 During the talks, Sinn Fein representatives were surprised by Castro's familiarity with the Northern Ireland peace process, said Adams.

 They also were ``very impressed by the president's openness and willingness to discuss every and any issue including human rights, civil and religious liberties,
 democratic rights and entitlements internationally,'' he said.

 After touring a pediatric hospital in Havana on the last day of his visit here Wednesday, Adams was to meet with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque.

 Adams' visit also refocused attention on the cases of three suspected IRA activists being held without charges in Colombia, where they were arrested in August on
 suspicion of training Marxist rebels. Among them is Niall Connolly, Sinn Fein's Havana-based representative for Latin America.

 Adams initially denied that Connolly was a Sinn Fein official, then said Connolly had been appointed to the post without his knowledge.

 He told reporters on Tuesday that he brought the issue up with Castro.

 Responding to questions about whether he would replace the Sein Fein's Havana representative, Adams said:

 ``I think the first imperative is to get Niall Connolly and his friends released and we'll discuss that in due course. Our representative will discuss that in due course.''

                                    © 2001