Britain: No IRA Need Apply

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher received a phone call from Ronald Reagan last week that she said "delighted" her. The President told Thatcher the Senate had approved a treaty with Britain that would make it easier to extradite suspected Irish Republican Army terrorists. The treaty states that suspects accused of murder, kidnaping, bombing or voluntary manslaughter can no longer avoid deportation by claiming that their actions were "politically motivated."

Britain has long been seeking such an agreement, but it was Thatcher's aid in the April bombing raid on Libya that helped push the measure through. Many U.S. diplomats and Senators felt that the U.S. ought to return a favor.