15th anniversary of the GFA - US and UK are getting impatient. Time for action.

[orangeman]

There's a bit of a theme in a lot of the commentary coming out in relation to the lack of real action about a shared future on both sides. Basically they're saying it's all very well talking the talk but the main parties here aren't walking the wallk and that the US and UK governments want to see more evidence of both sides engaging positively.




US urges Northern Ireland to 'consolidate peace gains'
Northern Ireland must "consolidate the gains" of peace, says the US secretary of state, ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

John Kerry, who replaced Hillary Clinton, said progress was "significant and inspiring" but the promise envisaged by the deal was "incomplete".

He said Friday was a "call to action".

The 10 April 1998 agreement ended 30 years of conflict and enshrined a peaceful framework for tackling religious and political divisions.

In a statement, Mr Kerry congratulated the people of Northern Ireland.



The "courage, conviction, and hard work of leaders and communities over the past 15 years... have led to a more peaceful and vibrant Northern Ireland", he said.

He went on: "The progress that has been made is significant and inspiring, but the promise envisioned by the agreement is incomplete. The 15th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement is a call to action to consolidate the gains of the last 15 years.


"This is an appropriate moment for all parties to rededicate themselves to achieving a shared future and to healing the divisions of the past."

He said the US remained committed to working with all parties to secure a "stable, peaceful, and prosperous future".

The break-up of Ireland in 1921, in which the south became a separate state known as the Republic of Ireland, led to decades of unrest and violence in Northern Ireland, which remained part of the UK.

Nationalists believe the north should join a united, independent Ireland, while unionists or loyalists, think Northern Ireland should stay as part of the UK.

The period known as the Troubles began in the late 1960s and lasted for nearly 30 years, with thousands on both sides killed.

The Good Friday Agreement was seen as a major step forward in the peace process.

The 65-page document, signed in Belfast in 1998, led to the Northern Ireland assembly and executive being set up, new cross-border institutions involving the Irish Republic and a body linking devolved assemblies across the UK with Westminster and Dublin.

The Irish Republic also dropped its constitutional claim to the six counties which form Northern Ireland.

Several spates of violence in Northern Ireland this year have prompted warnings by leading politicians that dissident extremists will not be allowed to disturb the hard-won peace.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21972720

[T Fearon]

Some chance,when

A) A majority of unionists are opposed to it?
B) A majority of nationalists view it as entirely differently to what the UK and US thought they signed up to.

Incidentally has it been all of 15 years since Brid Rogers got a proper hug?

[armaghniac]

The GFA should have had some sort of review process outside of the assembly.
For instance, further practical cross border bodies could be proposed. Even people broadly in favour of the continuation of the union at present might see merit in having only one Met Office or Ordnance Survey on this island and uncoordination is wasting public money this might be used for something else needed.

[orangeman]

John Kerry has said his bit -  Now Obama's turn :

US President Barack Obama has said urgent work is still needed in the peace process in Northern Ireland

In a statement, ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, he said people and political parties had to work together to build trust.

He said America would continue to be a friend and partner in the process.

The April 1998 agreement was signed after nearly two years of political talks.

In a statement, President Obama said: "As Easter approaches, we mark the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

"The people of Northern Ireland and their leaders have travelled a great distance over the past 15 years.

"Step by step, they have traded bullets for ballots, destruction and division for dialogue and institutions, and pointed the way toward a shared future for all.

"There is urgent work still to be done - and there will be more tests to come.

"There are still those few who prefer to look backward rather than forward - who prefer to inspire hate rather than hope.

"The many who have brought Northern Ireland this far must keep rejecting their call."

Mr Obama said "every citizen and every political party" needed to work together in service of "true and lasting peace and prosperity".

He said the United States would be there as a friend and partner "at every step of the way".

"That is the message I will carry with me when I visit Northern Ireland and attend the G-8 Summit in June," he added.

"On behalf of the American people, I salute the people and leaders of Northern Ireland and the model they have given to others struggling toward peace and reconciliation around the world.