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Doc of the Day: The Northern Ireland Peace Agreement
04/10/10
The Northern Ireland Peace Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998. Formally titled the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland, and also known as the Belfast Agreement or the Good Friday Accord, it was intended to end centuries of animosity and bloodshed between nationalist and unionist factions in Northern Ireland.
The historic peace talks involved British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Republic of Ireland leader Bertie Ahern, and representatives of various political parties in Northern Ireland. The U.S. envoy, George Mitchell, produced a detailed outline for the peace agreement, which included provisions to create a Northern Ireland Assembly for self-rule, to establish British-Irish intergovernmental bodies to deal with such issues as transportation and agriculture, and to encourage the British to accelerate the release of political prisoners. The final agreement included all of these proposals.
Although the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement was approved by resounding majorities on both sides in a May 1998 referendum, its implementation soon became bogged down in arguments over disarmament of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and other issues. In 2002 Great Britain suspended the Northern Ireland Assembly and resumed direct rule over Northern Ireland. Talks continued, however, and power was restored to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2007. Some observers viewed it as a hopeful sign when unionist Ian Paisley and nationalist Martin McGuinness took office as first minister and deputy first minister of the restored government.
Read the NORTHERN IRELAND PEACE AGREEMENT