Northern Ireland Cease-Fire

Prospects for peace in Northern Ireland have never seemed brighter. The historic cease-fire that went into effect last year is still holding. Now talks are under way that might eventually include all parties to the centuries-old conflict between minority Catholics, who favor a united Ireland, and majority Protestants, who want to remain part of the United Kingdom. The Clinton administration's risky policy of defying the British by permitting Irish nationalists to raise money in the United States is seen by most as a catalyst for peace. But a stumbling block remains: whether the Provisional Irish Republican Army should hand over some of its vast arsenal before the British negotiate a settlement. Meanwhile, sporadic violence by partisans on both sides continues, notably riots and “punishment beatings.”