Northern Ireland offers hope for conflict resolution

By Anna Tomforde May 8, 2007, 18:11 GMT

Belfast - There were smiles and tears of emotion when almost 40 years of bitter conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland were sealed with the formation of an historic power-sharing government in Belfast Tuesday.

The hardened men of Northern Ireland politics, Ian Paisley of the staunchly pro-British Democratic Unionists, and Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander, were seen relaxing over a cup of tea and standing shoulder to shoulder shaking hands of well-wishers.

These were pictures, everyone agreed, that would have been unimaginable not so long ago.

By bringing to a fruitful conclusion the search for a durable peace which began in 1998, the leaders of Northern Ireland - and the governments of Britain and Ireland - hope to encourage conflict resolution in other parts of the world.

'This is a message to optimists everywhere that conflict can be brought to an end and the process of negotiation can begin,' said British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

For him, the restoration of devolved government in Belfast, and the public reconciliation between previously deadly enemies, is a personal and political triumph at the end of his 10 years as British leader.

Blair and Bertie Ahern, the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister), have been described as the 'midwives' of the peace process for their tireless efforts to bring to a successful end the full implementation of the Northern Ireland peace agreement signed on April 10, 1998.

'I'm very emotional about this,' Blair admitted Tuesday, recalling how, as a teenager holidaying in Northern Ireland with his parents, he had been shocked by the 'division and hatred' that marked society there during the 'Troubles.'

Throughout the negotiations there had been the 'risk' of one side not believing that the other was 'sincere,' and that inevitable compromises were being seen as a 'sign of weakness,' Blair revealed.

'But sometimes politics is about compromise to achieve a better end,' said Blair.

'There are two options. You either stand aside or you get your hands dirty. And never give up,' he advised.

The concept of power-sharing between former political enemies, when based exclusively on democratic and peaceful principles, could be attractive for conflict solution in other regions in Europe and outside, British commentators say.

Peter Hain, Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary, who played a key role in the months of negotiations, spoke of the 'remarkable chemistry' that had developed between Paisley and McGuinness - two men who until recently had not exchanged a word.

'Now that the political leaders are joined together and are showing leadership together for the first time in Northern Ireland's bitter history, I think it will be increasingly difficult for the sectarianism and bigotry underneath all of this to flourish,' he said.

Ian Paisley, branded the 'No-man' of Northern Ireland politics, offered his own insight: 'In politics, as in life, it is a truism that no-one can ever have 100 per cent of what they desire.'

Those at the forefront of the negotiating process have said they hope other regions of conflict take courage from what has been achieved in Northern Ireland.

'We would like to pass on our experience of conflict resolution to other trouble spots,' McGuinness said.

Analysts said the lessons learnt in Northern Ireland, where political strategy was flanked by an 'economic dimension,' with governments, the European Union (EU) and private business giving support, could be especially relevant to the Middle East.

'Northern Ireland provides some useful lessons regarding the gloomy stand-off between the Israelis and Palestinians. Perhaps most important is the simple message that more attention should be paid to the economic dimension of the conflict,' David Freud, author of Economics in Peacemaking, said.

'It took 30 years and some false starts for the economic drivers to help achieve shared government in Northern Ireland. In the increasingly dangerous political environment of the Middle East, it is vital to put renewed energy into applying the lessons to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: economics makes peace possible,' said Freud.