Keeping Peace in Northern Ireland

The article ``Clinton Plays IRA Truce as US Diplomatic Victory,'' Sept. 2, puts too much emphasis on the pro- or anti-British stance of the president.

The British government has tried to keep the peace in Ulster, Northern Ireland, for the last 25 years.

The British people have no great emotional attachment to Ulster, and many would like to see the violence end; they care very little if Northern Ireland remains part of the UK. The Northern Irish wish to remain part of the UK because they value their freedom.

The republican terrorists see themselves becoming part of the American presidential election. By appearing to be reasonable they put Clinton in a favorable light, and expect to be rewarded.

The majority in the province view these developments with dismay. They remember how much the Palestinians counted in President Truman's reelection calculations or the current fate of the hapless Cubans. Their freedom is a small price to pay for the re-election of an American president. Nigel Pridmore Brown, Ojai, Calif.

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