Northern Ireland: No final agreement - but significant progress made

Wednesday, 8 December 2004 12:00 AM

The negotiating documents for a final settlement and the resumption of devolved institutions in Northern Ireland have now been published.

Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Irish leader Bertie Ahern, speaking at a press conference in Belfast, stressed that there was only one issue still remaining before all parties can sign off on a final deal.

That is photographic evidence of decommission - both the taking of photographs and the details surrounding their possible publication.

Both leaders spoke of the possibility that there could be a deal "by Christmas".

Describing the agreements as "remarkable but not yet complete", Mr Blair stressed that agreement had been reached on the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, power sharing government and policing in the province.

If the issues surrounding photography had been agreed, there would have been decommissioning completed by this Christmas with the executive set up by March.

Mr Blair described these agreements as "very very considerable progress".

In terms of the process of decommission of arms, there has been agreement that this should take place under the auspices of the international decommissioning body and that there should be independent observers.

And the compromise had been mooted by the British and Irish governments that photographs should be taken, but not published until the devolved assemblies were again active.

However, this could not be agreed - though both leaders were keen to stress that there had been no "bad faith" during the negotiating process and pay tribute to the "political courage" of the negotiating parties.

Pressed for his own views on the stand-off, the Prime Minister said that he understood the "very strong feelings" on the issue, but said: "It isn't sensible to talk about humiliation and it isn't sensible to overact to talk of humiliation".

He called on the people of Northern Ireland - and indeed the whole of Ireland - to read discuss and debate the document before them. Mr Blair stressed that he did not believe the process was going backward - instead saying there was an "inevitability" of the progress towards a final settlement.

Irish prime minister Mr Ahern went even further, saying: "I would still like to see it finished before Christmas and I still believe it is possible".

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