THE 10TH anniversary of the Belfast Agreement's signing will be marked in Belfast today by a symposium on the accord's legacy and by a conference on dispute mediation throughout Europe.
The symposium will involve Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former US senator George Mitchell, along with many of the most prominent figures in the lengthy talks which concluded the agreement in 1998.
Speaking before the event,Mr Ahern said he was delighted to be spending today in Belfast. "Ten years on from Good Friday 1998, it is a place transformed. It is now a vibrant, modern and peaceful city that is looking forward to the future with confidence.
"Of course challenges remain but these are being met and surmounted each and every day, by the political leaders and the people who are working together for a better future. It is fitting that we pause today to reflect on all that has been achieved.
"I hope and pray that everyone on this island will forever live in the light thatwasilluminated onthis day ten years ago."
The two-hour symposium, which is organised by Trina Vargo, president of the US-Ireland Alliance, will be chaired by BBC broadcaster Noel Thompson.
Taking part will be Gen John de Chastelain, who oversaw the decommissioning of IRA weapons; Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness; former SDLP leader John Hume and his successor Mark Durkan; Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams; Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey; former minister for foreign affairs David Andrews; former Progressive Democrats junior minister Liz O'Donnell; former Northern Secretary Paul Murphy; Prof Monica McWilliams, formerly of the Women's Coalition; former Alliance leader and first speaker of the Assembly, Lord Alderdice; Progressive Unionist Party leader Dawn Purvis and former representative of the Ulster Democratic Party, David Adams.
First Minister and DUP leader Dr Ian Paisley will be in Washington where he is preparing for next month's investment conference, also to be held in Belfast.
DUP Ministers, who opposed the Belfast Agreement in 1998, including Finance Minister Peter Robinson and Industry Minister Nigel Dodds, are due to join Stormont colleagues for an Executive meeting later this morning but do not have any other public engagements, according to the Executive Information Service.
Former Ulster Unionist leader Lord David Trimble said last night he was unable to attend the events in Belfast as he will be in Oxford to take part in the Koenigswinter conference, an annual British-German gathering which provided the model for the British-Irish Council.
Traditional Unionist MEP Jim Allister, who quit the DUP over its decision to share power with Sinn Féin at Stormont last year, used the anniversary's eve to restate his opposition to last year's deal.
"Without the DUP volte face the Belfast Agreement was dead," he said. "There is lots of furious rebranding and repackaging going on, but the fundamentals of the Belfast Agreement survive. St Andrews did not alter its basic architecture."
Meanwhile the three-day European Mediation Conference also opens at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast this morning, attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern.
Also taking part is the former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, who played a key role alongside Gen de Chastelain in the decommissioning of IRA weapons.
The conference has been organised by the Scottish Mediation Network and Mediation Northern Ireland and it will discuss developments in mediation throughout Europe, especially in light of the transition from conflict in Northern Ireland.
Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who is now an international envoy to the Middle East, will join Bertie Ahern at Dublin Castle tomorrow night for a special function to mark the 10th anniversary. Senator Mitchell will also attend the dinner, which has been organised by the Turn The Tide of Suicide group.
Mr Ahern will present Mr Blair with a special award marking his involvement in the peace process while prime minister.