Omagh verdict to be challenged
Sinn Fein and the DUP took centre stage, but the other parties all had something to say about the Hillsborough deal which has been broadly welcomed, although some frustrations remain.
Leader of the Alliance Party David Ford, tipped to become justice minister, said: “It is clear the people of Northern Ireland could not have tolerated failure and certainly the agreement seen this morning between the DUP and Sinn Fein has to be welcomed as a step towards removing the poison that exists in our political system.”
SDLP leader Mark Durkan, who leaves his party’s top job on Saturday and who has been closely involved in the history of Northern Ireland peace talks, expressed hopes that the new deal would undermine violent groups.
“We want to confound the sinister agenda of the so-called dissidents, so-called republicans,” he said. “We want to make sure devolution works a lot better that it has been doing.”
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said that despite public concern over the slow progress of the long-running negotiations, he urged people to study the agreement and see its potential.
He said: “It is another step on the journey, it is a very, very clear step and I suppose it depends on how society responds to what we are proposing.”
Leader of the loyalist Progressive Unionist Party Dawn Purvis said: “I think it is hugely significant, it is what the people of Northern Ireland wanted, it is what all the political parties wanted. It means we are not facing an election, which would have been absolutely disastrous.”
The Ulster Unionist Party refused to attend the launch of the agreement, but has said it will study its contents.
But leader of the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice Jim Allister condemned the deal.
Conservative leader David Cameron said he hope the deal would lead to the “completion of devolution and the re-establishment of political stability in Northern Ireland.”
Irish president Mary McAleese also welcomed the agreement: “This is a deeply significant day in the evolution of the Peace Process.
“After many years of negotiation and inching forward at an often cautious and painstaking pace, a decisive move ahead has been made and, critically, it has been made by the parties themselves.”
Internationally, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton paid tribute to the work of all those involved in the negotiations, particularly the First and Deputy First Ministers, saying:
“In finalising this deal, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness and their teams displayed the kind of leadership that the people of Northern Ireland deserve.”
Church leaders from across the religious divide also welcomed news of the deal.
On Devolution
Matt Baggott, Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, welcomed the deal, saying: “I do believe that devolution is a step to a safer, secure, more peaceful Northern Ireland, and look forward to working with the new minister and the Department of Justice in due course.”
On Parades
The Orange Order, Royal Black Institution and the Apprentice Boys groups who organise thousands of parades across Northern Ireland each year welcomed the promise of a new system for overseeing parades, but Catholic residents’ groups expressed concerns over any changes.
The Orange Order said: “Our initial reaction is that it is a positive step forward and we are pleased that people have been focusing on the issue of parading.
“Everyone must now work to find the best regulatory system surrounding public assemblies and parades and we remain committed to playing a continuing and constructive part in that.”
A spokesman for the Apprentice Boys of Derry which has successfully brokered local deals on its city centre parades in the predominantly nationalist city, welcomed the prospect of a new beginning.
They said: “The Apprentice Boys of Derry welcome the proposed new improved proposals for parading.
“The prize of an agreed regulatory and adjudication system is one which all sections of the Northern Ireland community should welcome.”
The Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC) in Portadown which represents nationalists in the area said it would have to study the new proposals and test them against human rights legislation.
“At no stage, during the past 12 years has the Orange Order in Portadown been denied the right to freedom of assembly. At no stage during that period, has any outright ban been imposed upon Orange Order parades in Portadown,” the group said.
