Good Friday Agreement archives: Historic deal a chance to bury the hate of the past
Bertie Ahern hailed the agreement as "historic" and said it marked a new beginning not only for Northern Ireland but for all the people in the two islands. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie
Joy throughout the North last night at the achievement of an historic settlement at the Stormont talks was tempered by some concern that splits in unionism, and republican reservations, could yet see the deal unravel.
Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair, whose Herculean efforts in the final days had forced the parties to focus sharply on problems and eventually resolve them, were delighted with the extent of the deal done after 22 months of hard negotiations.
The Taoiseach hailed the agreement as "historic" and said it marked a new beginning not only for Northern Ireland but for all the people in the two islands.
Mr Blair said that "in the past few days, the irresistible force of political will had met an immovable object — the legacy of the past — and we have moved it”.
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But it was not an easy task and there were difficulties right to the end. Final agreement was held up for four hours yesterday afternoon when internal unionist divisions forced David Trimble to seek reassurances from prime minister Tony Blair on decommissioning.
Later, Mr Trimble claimed that Mr Blair had given him an assurance that Sinn Féin will be barred from holding ministerial office until such time as IRA arms are handed up.
He claimed that the concession had been made by the prime minister during intensive efforts to avoid a collapse in the talks in the final hours.
When the required reassurances were supplied, with the helpful telephone intervention of president Bill Clinton, the deal was clinched and announced by talks chairman George Mitchell shortly after 5 o'clock.
"This deal is good for the people of Ireland, north and south”, he told the final plenary session of the negotiations at Castle Buildings.
Implementation of it is another matter, however.
First it must get the approval of the UUP executive council this weekend and then face the test of delegates at the Sinn Féin ard fheis on April 18.
It will be a surprise if Sinn Féin approval is not forthcoming, because it was widely acknowledged Gerry Adams and his team played a very constructive role at the final session of the negotiations.
They showed a willingness to compromise and make concessions that took many on the British side by surprise and they seem committed to taking their place in the proposed Northern Assembly.
Mr Adams told a press conference that the document contained elements which were positive, but there were others yet to be resolved. “So much more has to be done”.
Republicans and nationalists would come to the document with scepticism, but also with hope.
Apart from seeing the agreement as protecting the union, Mr Trimble saw it as laying the foundations for a "healthy, vibrant" democracy to replace the "stagnant, frustration, and perilousness" of the last three decades.
SDLP leader John Hume saw it as providing both communities in the North with an opportunity to work together to begin to break down the barriers of suspicion and fear.
"This agreement presents a horizon of hope for the people of this island and an historic opportunity which must be grasped," he said.
The agreement proposes changes in Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution and the repeal British Government of Ireland Act 1920.
The Republic's claim to the territory of the North in Article 2 is to be replaced by a new statement of Irish nationality, a proposal that could meet serious opposition.
New institutions are proposed — a Northern Ireland Assembly to restore to the people the fundamental democratic right to govern themselves and a North/South Council.
Issues such as prisoners, policing, decommissioning, and the importance of achieving equality of treatment for the whole community are also dealt with.
Meanwhile, there was anger on the Falls Rd in West Belfast late last night as army and police checkpoints were put into force. Nationalists were forced to produce indentities, and helicopters were also on surveillance in the area.
