Leaders need to embrace reconciliation

Nobody expects Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams to kiss and make up, but it is not unreasonable to ask that they should be civil to each other in the interest of the peace to which each proclaim their commitment.

The posturing of some of his loudest critics have allowed Mr Adams to sound distinctly statesmanlike.

Accommodating Mr Paisley and his party will be every bit as unpalatable for Sinn Féin supporters and the broad expanse of Irish nationalists, as accommodating Mr Adams and his party will be for Democratic Unionists and unionists in general.

Maybe a former American Secretary of State was being unrealistic when he called for the Arabs and

Israelis to settle their differences in a Christian spirit, but there is no reason Mr Paisley and Mr Adams should not do so, especially in the spirit of the season.

The overwhelming majority of people on both sides of the political divide had clearly expressed their desire for peace and reconciliation. That reconciliation can be best established by the cooperation of parties as diverse as the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin.

This week there is a real opportunity to take another important step towards reconciliation and let us all hope that the two leaders will have the courage to seize that opportunity.