No Return to the Past

15 years on from Agreement, there can be no going back —Adams


Commenting today on the 15^thanniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Sinn Féin Leader Gerry Adams said:

“The Good Friday Agreement came after many years of hard work and culminated in long night negotiations in Castle Buildings at Stormont.

“Internationally regarded as a successful example of conflict resolution, the Agreement represents an historic compromise between conflicting political positions, following decades of conflict.

“With stable power-sharing and all-Ireland institutions enjoying the support of the community, the North in particular has been transformed in the intervening period.

“A key difference between the Agreement and previous government-sponsored initiatives, all of which failed, is that the principle of equality is at its core.

“The power sharing structures have ensured the checks and balances necessary to prevent the political abuses and discrimination of the past.

“The Agreement has secured remarkable progress in the areas of policing and justice, demilitarisation and arms, discrimination and sectarianism, equality and human rights, and the Irish language.

“It also provides for a Border Poll to address the issue of Partition.

“Of course, any agreement is just a piece of paper. It needs political will to implement it and make its promise a reality.

“Further negotiations since 1998 have seen unionist political leaders seeking to minimise the implementation of the Agreement. As a result, and because of the failure of both governments to fulfill their obligations, outstanding issues remain.

“These include a Bill of Rights for the North which would offer protections for the most vulnerable and respect the diversity of our community.

“Other outstanding issues include an all-island Charter of Rights, establishment of the North-South Consultative Forum, introduction of an Acht na Gaeilge (Irish Language Act) and resolution of the issue of those people still ‘On The Run’ as a result of the conflict.

“The British Government has failed to act on its Weston Park commitment to hold an independent inquiry into the killing of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane. It has allowed a securocrat agenda to continue to abuse human rights — most clearly in the continued detention of Marian Price and Martin Corey.

“The people of this island need a genuine process of national reconciliation. This includes a victim-centered truth and reconciliation process.
“Sinn Féin believes that the best way of doing this is through the establishment of an Independent International Truth Commission. The two governments, former combatants and those in leadership across Ireland and Britain need to be part of this. There can be no hierarchy of victims.
“Fifteen years on there can be no going back. The tiny minorities who want to cling to the past must be rejected. Sectarianism must be tackled and ended.

“The promise of the Good Friday Agreement for a new society in which all citizens are respected, and where fairness and justice and equality are the guiding principles, has to be advanced.” CRÍOCH/END