Renegotiation of Good Friday deal not an option, says Blair

RENEGOTIATION of the Good Friday Agreement is not an option, Tony Blair said yesterday as both he and Bertie Ahern strongly renewed their joint commitment to the peace process.

Speaking after their meeting at Farmleigh House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park before the IRA last night publicly released its full statement of two weeks ago, both leaders expressed their unified commitment to pursuing the terms of the agreement and the Joint Declaration published last Thursday.

“There is going to be no renegotiating of the Good Friday Agreement. That is the agreement. That is the only agreement upon which there is any possibility of getting the consensus of the people of Northern Ireland and it isn’t going to change,” insisted Mr Blair.