It has been an extraordinary achievement. At last all of the major parties in Northern Ireland have agreed to a framework for peace. At the weekend, Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, agreed to the Good Friday document which sets out a framework for power-sharing among the various sides in Northern Ireland and for an over-arching council which will give the Republic of Ireland a say in the affairs of Northern Ireland.
Much of the credit must go to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who cut through the hubris of his predecessor John Major who insisted (quite unrealistically) that the IRA disarm before talks could begin. Once Mr Blair broke the ice, his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern, also laid aside an unattainable pre-condition: that a united Ireland was the only settlement possible. Then David Trimbole the leader of the Ulster Unionists gave sacred ground: the Dublin Government in the south could play a direct political role in the affairs of the north. Then Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams followed. He laid aside a long-help precept that there could be no power-sharing with the Protestants in the north.
Only a few hardliners in the IRA and Protestant militia have rejected the Good Friday document.
The result is more than a “”peace process”. It is a workable arrangement for long-term peace and political stability which will be cemented later this month by referendums in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
Perhaps Sinn Fein has realised that a united Ireland could never come from the barrel of a gun and that it is more likely to come from peaceful co-operation which in turn will result in a decade or so in Protestants realising that they have nothing to fear from a united Ireland.
There are no guarantees, but the Good Friday document is a great start.