Paddy Ashdown to head NI parades review

Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown is to head a review of parading in the North, it was announced today.

Northern Secretary Peter Hain said that Ashdown - who was previously the international High Representative for Bosnia and who once served as a Royal Marines officer in the province - would bring great "expertise and credibility" to the job.

"Lord Ashdown brings a huge amount of experience in conflict resolution with him and is highly regarded both nationally and internationally," Mr Hain said.

"He has an excellent understanding of the issues that affect Northern Ireland and his work starts at a time when the historic agreement reached between the DUP and Sinn Féin has moved the political process on to a new era."

The review of parades - such as the annual loyalist Orange Order parade at Drumcree which have in the past been a flashpoint for trouble - was announced earlier this year.

Its remit is to make recommendations on how parading can be taken forward in a way "consistent with the shared future objectives of respect, tolerance, responsible citizenship and promoting equality of opportunity and human rights".

Mr Ashdown said: "I know the work will be challenging and there are no simple answers to what are fundamentally very difficult problems, but I am looking forward to the challenge and to the debate and to contributing to what must be, if it is to succeed, a locally-grown solution to this issue."

The review will begin next month and is expected to deliver its final recommendations in early 2008.

The other members of the review team are: Sammy Douglas of the Belfast Interface Group; Mervyn Gibson, the Deputy Grand Chaplain of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland; Sean Murray of the Springfield Residents' Action Group; Geraldine McAteer, the chief executive of West Belfast Partnership Board; Garvan O'Doherty, a businessman who helped broker discussions between the Bogside Residents' Group and the Apprentice Boys of Derry; and Mervyn Rankin, former chief executive of Ballymena Borough Council.