Honoured Ahern in NI message of hope

Plans for elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly must be completed within weeks Bertie Ahern said today.

The Taoiseach and British PM Tony Blair used an American prize-giving ceremony honouring their role in shaping the Good Friday Agreement peace accord to call for all parties in the North to “go the final mile”.

Mr Ahern, in the US ahead of his address to the United Nations General Assembly, was given the honour at the University of Connecticut. Mr Blair was represented by British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Mr Prescott read a letter from Mr Blair praising the decline in violence on the streets of Belfast over the summer.

“That did not happen by accident. It was the result of a conscious effort on all sides,” Mr Blair said.

“And that is partly why I believe that now is the time for all sides to take the final steps to make the Agreement complete – governments, unionists, nationalists and republicans.”

The letter said Mr Blair and Mr Ahern had decided “that now is the time to go the final mile”.

“That means the (British) government showing its willingness to make the changes in policing, equality and security demanded by the Agreement.

“It means unionists showing their commitment, not just to sharing power with nationalists, but making the institutions secure and stable.

“But it also means the IRA recognising that we could no longer carry on with it half in, and half out of the process.”

Speaking as he collected the Thomas J Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, Mr Ahern said plans for elections to the Stormont Assembly needed to be finalised by mid-October.

Original plans for the poll were cancelled in May.

“Now is the time for all sides to take the final steps to make this agreement complete – the Government, unionists, nationalists,” he said.

At a news conference after the ceremony, Mr Ahern was asked if the elections could be put off until the spring.

He answered: “That would be very difficult,” but did not elaborate.

The Thomas J Dodd honour is awarded biennially to “an individual or group that has made a significant effort to advance the cause of international justice and global human rights”.

The Good Friday peace accord was forged in 1998 and set out an agenda for bringing peace to Northern Ireland.

But the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive have been suspended since last October when allegations of IRA spying threatened the future of the power-sharing government.

Efforts to revive the Agreement faltered in May over the IRA’s failure to declare an end to all paramilitary activity.

Mr Blair cancelled elections four days into the campaign.

Despite the setbacks the Agreement is widely seen as the most successful drive towards peace in the province in more than 30 years of troubles.