Agreement needs more work - SDLP chief

Further work needs to be done in implementing the Good Friday Agreement and building on the partnership politics it has forged in Northern Ireland, nationalist SDLP leader Mark Durkan claimed tonight.

In a statement issued on the eve of the actual fourth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Stormont Deputy First Minister claimed there had been much progress since 1988.

‘‘We are now building the new partnership politics that the SDLP has advocated ever since our foundation,’’ the Foyle MLA argued.

‘‘By working together, we hope to break down the divisions and distrust in our society and on our island.

‘‘Our ultimate goal must be the unity of Ireland - a unity of people, a unity of prosperity, a unity of peace.

‘‘For the first time ever, all major parts of the Agreement are being implemented but much remains to be done.

‘‘The SDLP wants to see: the deepening of the North-South agenda and the bringing together of representatives from the Assembly and the Dail, in a North-South Parliamentary Forum.

‘‘We also want to see further progress on decommissioning - especially by loyalist groups who have so far evaded their responsibilities, greater de-militarisation and the conversion of Army bases to civilian use, better recognition of the sense of grief and grievance of victims and the creation of an all-Ireland human rights agenda.’’

Just 24 hours after the IRA confirmed it had carried out a second act of weapons decommissioning, Mr Durkan contrasted the early days of the Agreement with the situation today.

In the immediate aftermath of the Agreement there was stalemate and dispute, he noted.

‘‘We have now set out on a better course,’’ he said.

The Agreement had delivered an Assembly which was not dominated by either tradition and a power-sharing government which brought together all political viewpoints to work together to a common agenda.

There was also strong North-South co-operation and links between the island of Ireland and Britain.

There was also a new police service ‘‘that all traditions can join, held to account by a new Policing Board, a strong Police Ombudsman and an American Oversight Commissioner, Tom Constantine,’’ Mr Durkan noted.

He also pointed to ‘‘the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, underlying the acceptance throughout our society that change can only be brought about by consent, not coercion.’’

Mr Durkan said the SDLP was committed to working in tandem with other political parties to deliver on the outstanding aspects of the Good Friday Agreement and all the other challenges facing Northern Ireland’s political process.

He added: ‘‘We will continue to ensure the full and faithful implementation of the Agreement by all parties in letter and in spirit.’’