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Sir Tony Blair has warned that peace in Northern Ireland cannot be taken for granted and that politicians must “keep their guard up”.
The former prime minister, who played a key role in the Good Friday pact, said: I The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) must return to power sharing in the Northern Ireland parliament and ensure the peace deal survives.
Along with Bertie Ahern (his Irish counterpart at the time) and the leaders of most of Northern Ireland’s political parties, Lord Tony was at the center of what is also known as the Belfast Accords, which celebrates its 25th anniversary on Monday.
Before the anniversary he said I: “The Good Friday Agreement should always be reviewed in response to changing circumstances and opinions in Northern Ireland, but notwithstanding everything the Agreement holds, it should always be remembered and, therefore, that any Change, too, all parts of the community.”
His comments came as police in Northern Ireland said they had “strong” information that a terrorist attack on officers was planned for Easter Monday.
Chief Constable Simon Byrne of the Police Department of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said in a police strategy that had not been used for years, officers would be shifted to frontline duties to counter potential threats.
US President Joe Biden is scheduled to arrive in Belfast on Tuesday as part of his anniversary celebrations.
Although it has been largely peaceful for 25 years since the deal was signed, British security services recently raised the threat level in Northern Ireland from substantial to serious. This means that the attack potential is very high.
“Northern Ireland remains incompatible, so the current threat level is not surprising given all the focus on our 25th anniversary,” said Lord Tony.
“However, the majority of people continue to support peace.
Looking to the future, he believes getting Stormont back in session is key to peace and Northern Ireland remaining in the UK.
Northern Ireland’s parliament has lost seats since Sinn Fein won the most seats in the election last May. This was the first time a Republican or Nationalist party won a seat in Northern Ireland since the 1921 partition.
After the elections, the DUP abstained from voting to elect Stormont’s Speaker, resulting in the collapse of parliament.
Lord Tony, who was prime minister from 1997 to 2007 and won three consecutive elections as Labor leader, said: “It depends on how Northern Ireland is governed over the next 25 years.”
He added: “I believe the future within the UK will be secure once institutions are functioning again and politicians put the interests of the people first. I certainly hope so. increase.”
Reflecting on the negotiations that led to the signing of the agreement, also known as the Belfast Accord, the former prime minister said:
In many cases it seemed that everything was lost just to be rescued. She probably had 6 hours to 8 hours of sleep for the entire 3 days. “
A British minister on Thursday said the government was “very reluctant” to reintroduce direct rule from Westminster and urged the DUP to return to Stormont.
Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker added that “a range of options” are being considered to address the lack of governance in the region caused by the collapse of power-sharing institutions.
Baker urged the DUP, which dissolved parliament as part of its protests against a post-Brexit trade deal, to “bank the victory” secured by the Windsor Framework and return to Stormont.
The UK government and the EU announced a framework earlier this year to alleviate many of the trade difficulties caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol. However, the DUP is seeking further assurances that trade concerns and Northern Ireland’s constitutional position will be met.
Baker told the BBC good morning ulster A program that civil servants being asked to make decisions within Stormont’s departments is unsustainable.
He added:
“We would very much like to put our local ministers back in place, but obviously asking the authorities to make difficult decisions without having a minister in place is not a sustainable foundation. , the current arrangement cannot allow things to last much longer.
“But we are equally well aware that direct rule would be a very serious step.
“In the current political climate, it is clear that direct control of Northern Ireland by a minister in London would be a very serious step and very reluctant.”
What is the Good Friday Pact?How the deal ended decades of violence
The Good Friday pact nearly ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland since the late ’60s. Signed on April 10, 1998, on Good Friday of that year.
what was the trouble?
After the partition of Ireland in the 1920s, a division remained between Irish republicans, nationalists who wanted a united Ireland, and trade unionists who supported British rule.
Sectarian riots erupted in Belfast and elsewhere in the late 1960s, sparking civil rights marches and protests against Catholics’ disenfranchisement in areas such as housing and employment. Conflict erupted as a result.
An estimated 3,720 people were killed over the next 30 years, mostly by paramilitary groups on both sides, including the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and pro-British Protestant groups commonly known as ‘loyalists’. .
Others were killed by Northern Irish security forces and British troops stationed there in 1969 and soon targeted by attacks by the IRA and other Republican groups.
How did the Good Friday Agreement come about?
Peace initiatives and backroute talks to end violence began in the 80s, but progress has been slow.
In 1994, major paramilitary groups on both sides declared a ceasefire. The IRA ended his truce in 1996, and although Loyalist truces were frequently broken, the lack of progress was blamed on Britain.
The renewed momentum in the peace talks proved after the 1997 election of Tony Blair’s Labor government. The IRA promised a new ceasefire in his July of that year, and peace talks resumed in his September.
Negotiations often seemed to be on the brink of collapse. Sir Tony and Irish Taoisek Bertie Ahern joined the participants in Stormont on the final day and negotiations took place overnight from Thursday 9 April.
who attended the meeting?
The talks were attended by the British and Irish governments and eight Northern Irish political parties, the largest of which was the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Democratic Labor Party (SDLP).
UUP leader David Trimble and SDLP leader John Hume would later share the Nobel Peace Prize.
The militias were excluded, but were joined by two small unionist parties associated with the loyalist group and the IRA’s political alliance Sinn Fein, led by Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was the only mainstream party not to join after Sinn Fein’s withdrawal.US President Bill Clinton endorsed the move, appointing former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to chair the negotiations.
What was in the pact?
The deal was formally two interrelated agreements. A treaty between the British and Irish governments and an agreement between parties in Northern Ireland.
It not only recognized Northern Ireland’s constitutional status as part of the United Kingdom, but also the principle of consent that a united Ireland could be achieved if a majority of the people in both island jurisdictions voted for it. I admit it.
Britain has pledged to hold a referendum if a majority is deemed likely to vote for Irish unity, but Ireland has vowed to amend its constitution to remove its territorial claims to Northern Ireland. I agree with you.
A power-sharing parliament and executive branch was established, and a local government was established in Stormont, a suburb of Belfast, requiring the participation of both parties.
Other sections of the agreement dealt with the reform of the Protestant-dominated police force, the early release of paramilitary prisoners, the disarmament of the paramilitary forces, and the “normalization” of the security system.
The agreement was approved by referendums held on both sides of the Irish border in May 1998.
How well was the peace kept?
Overall, Northern Ireland has enjoyed peace for most of the 25 years since the agreement was signed, with only a few splinter groups involved in sporadic attacks.
However, the division of power in Stormont collapsed on several occasions, citing the inability of opposing parties to cooperate, leading to a lengthy suspension of parliament.
It collapsed again last year over post-Brexit trade rules and has yet to reopen.
What impact has Brexit had on the deal?
The UK’s exit from the EU has created problems for Northern Ireland, increasing the likelihood of a “hard border” with EU member Ireland.
For nationalists, imposing a border check would violate one of the core principles of the agreement to promote inter-Korean cooperation.
Unionists say the Northern Ireland Protocol, which imposed checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, placed a border on the Irish Sea, weakening the region’s position in the Union.
In March, the DUP opposed Rishi Sunak’s post-Brexit deal with the EU on the Protocol.
The Prime Minister has agreed a ‘Stormont brake’ with the EU. The brake would allow Stormont’s minority politicians to voice their concerns about new EU legislation in Northern Ireland, which could lead the UK government to reject its introduction.