the Downing Street Declaration
/ðə ˌdaʊnɪŋ striːt dekləˈreɪʃn/
/ðə ˌdaʊnɪŋ striːt dekləˈreɪʃn/
- a statement about Northern Ireland made by the British and Irish prime ministers, John Major and Albert Reynolds, in London in December 1993. The Declaration tried to push forward the peace process in Northern Ireland by offering something to all the opposing groups. For the first time the British government agreed to include Sinn Fein in discussions if they and the IRA promised not to use violence in future. In the following year the IRA stopped their bombing campaign, but refused to make any promises about the use of violence.
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the Downing Street Declaration