New agreement ‘needed to kickstart peace process’

Northern Ireland’s political parties need to negotiate a Good Friday Agreement Mark Two if the problems in the peace process are to be overcome, it was claimed today.

Roelf Meyer, a senior negotiator for F W de Klerk’s National Party in the talks which ended apartheid in South Africa, believes the Good Friday Accord has failed and a ‘‘fresh start’’ is necessary to cement peace in the province.

Putting forward a 10-point plan to revitalise peace, Mr Meyer, who is a regular visitor to Belfast, said there was a need for the parties to take ownership of the process by negotiating their own Good Friday Agreement Mark Two.

He told BBC Radio Ulster since the Agreement came into being, there had been very little progress with regard to critical issues like decommissioning, and the Patten Report on police reform.

He said: ‘‘I think the problem basically is that the parties when the Agreement was signed almost three years ago were not really part of that Agreement itself.

‘‘It was introduced by Senator (George) Mitchell and it was supported by the British and Irish Governments, but the parties locally in Northern Ireland never really made that agreement their own.

‘‘So I think according to our experience in South Africa, one reaches such a point where the parties are now and it is better to make a fresh start.’’

Mr Meyer’s 10-point plan proposes:

:: The setting up of a new mechanism for political negotiations involving only the Northern Ireland political parties, creating ownership of dialogue, developing their own chemistry and mechanisms for problem-solving similar to the South African concept of ‘‘sufficient consensus’’.

:: Unionists must face republicans across the negotiating table, and vice-versa, with no intermediary to run to when problems arise.

:: The setting of a target date for ‘‘Good Friday Two’’ which must be adhered to.

:: The staging of talks in a neutral venue, away from the political hothouse of Northern Ireland.

:: Politicians to visit South Africa - not to copy their peace process but to reflect and generate ideas - and also Jerusalem to see what happens when trust and respect are not apparent.

:: The clear definition of an end objective for the talks to enable willing parties to work jointly towards a common future.

:: Agreement on key constitutional requirements, such as a Bill of Rights, to help the move away from group, over individual, rights.

:: The building of respect amongst key political players instead of the ‘‘sullen, adversarial suspicion’’ Mr Meyer has observed during regular visits and discussions.

:: A pledge to come back to the people of Northern Ireland with a clear vision, clear plan and fresh commitment to deliver on the undelivered hopes of Good Friday One.

:: The acceptance of joint responsibility for the implementation of Good Friday Two.

Mr Meyer was speaking after Ulster Unionists on Saturday agreed to intensify sanctions against Sinn Fein in a bid to force IRA decommissioning.

The UUP are considering disrupting meetings of cross border bodies and the British Irish Council and possibly, seeking the exclusion of Sinn Fein ministers from the Stormont Executive.

British and Irish Government officials are continuing the quest for a solution to the problems in the process.

The Governments, Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Ulster Unionists are deadlocked on the issues of paramilitary disarmament, policing reforms and the scaling down of military bases in the province.