Gauge theories, vertex models, and quantum groups

It is known that the Jones polynomial of knot theory, and its generalizations, are closely related to the integrable “vertex models” of two-dimensional statistical mechanics, and to quantum groups. In this paper, an attempt is made to show on a priori grounds, starting only from general covariance of three-dimensional Chern-Simons gauge theory and two-dimensional “duality”, why this must be so.