By IPS Correspondents
DUBLIN, Dec 23 1994 (IPS)

The British government has released 47 paramilitary prisoners for seven days in a show of goodwill as Northern Ireland celebrates its first peaceful Christmas in 25 years.

But commentators said that in the circumstances, the British government could have done more.

There are 700 Irish Republican Army (IRA) and other republican prisoners who are serving time for offences committed in a violent struggle for a united Ireland.

Fifty prisoners from the loyalist side fighting to keep Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, were also released on Thursday.

The paramilitary groups on both sides have both announced ceasefires.

The Republic of Ireland government in a similar gesture of goodwill released two thirds of its republican prisoners on Friday — 39 in all. Thirty of the prisoners were given seven days of freedom and nine were given an early release from prison.

The nine are initially on a temporary release of four weeks while the Irish government decides the terms of their permanent release.

Commenting on the prisoner releases, Patrick Mayhew, the British government minister responsible for Northern Ireland however made clear that there would be no amnesty of paramilitary prisoners by the British government.

Brian Kenna, one of the prisoners released by the Irish government, said on Friday: “We are very pleased to be out. This shows flexibility by the Dublin Government.”

He however went on: “But we are very disappointed that the British government has not shown the same flexibility (as the Irish government). This shows a degree of intransigence by the British government,” Kenna said. “We just hope everything goes well with the peace process,” he added.

British Prime Minister John Major is leading a government which is dependent on the votes of unionists, representing the Protestant majority in Northern Ireland who want to keep the union with Britain.

In a hard-hitting editorial criticising the limited concessions given to the nationalist minority in Northern Ireland since the IRA ceasefire began on Sep 1, Damien Kiberd, editor of The Sunday Business Post, said in the editorial:

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