Engagement is key, or it faces bullet - Good Friday Agreement

IT is almost 20 years since Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern signed the historic Good Friday Agreement in Belfast, heralding an end to decades of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.

It was endorsed in referenda on both sides of the border in the hope that it would not only lead to peace and political stability but also bring justice for those who suffered at the hands of paramilitaries.

The jury is still out on political stability, with a fresh round of cross-party negotiations beginning today in a final attempt to save powersharing and devolved government.