'Most important' talks of Agreement begin

Roundtable talks between the pro-agreement parties and the British and Irish government have gone ahead today at Parliament Buildings in Belfast.

The talks have been set up by both governments as the Good Friday Agreement obliges them to do, but there is some hope that there will be a breakthrough – or at least some common ground between the parties following the "crisis of confidence" identified by former Secretary of State, Dr John Reid.

Whilst the face-to-face negotiations represents the end of the six-week hiatus following the suspension of the devolved government on October 14, they did begin under a cloud as UUP leader David Trimble could not attend the talks as he is currently in America.

A UUP spokesperson said that Mr Trimble would have been able to attend the talks as they had been originally scheduled, but they suggested that the talks were brought forward to accommodate the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen.

Despite this, the talks have been described by Sinn President Gerry Adams as "the most important" in the short life of the Good Friday Agreement.

Earlier this week, Mr Adams said that the six-week suspension represented the "most serious crisis since the Good Friday Agreement was achieved".

He added: "The democratic imperative has to prevail. That it does not is an indictment of British policy at this time. But it also creates a real and deep concern that the British government plans in the time ahead to seek to renegotiate the Agreement. This has to be prevented."

He added that there was "no possibility of the IRA disbanding in response to ultimatums or demands".

Mr Adams concluded: "The negotiations to resolve this crisis will be the most important since the Agreement. Do we believe that these matters and the other issues can be resolved? Yes. Will they be resolved during this negotiation? I don't know."

In the run up to the roundtable talks, of which his party has no part, DUP MP for East Londonderry Gregory Campbell warned that talks to save the Belfast Agreement would not work, and that only new structures could give a lasting settlement. Mr Campbell also claimed that the negotiations would "lead to the process of facilitating the election of Gerry Adams as Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive".

The UUP's Sir Reg Empey said that there would continue to be problems in the Agreement "as long as we are being held to ransom by private armies".

He added: "The task now is to complete the journey we started over four years ago: the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement. Those associated with private armies are going to have to deal with this issue once and for all. There will be no restoration of devolution until this matter is resolved."

(GMcG)