THE valuable contribution of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation to the peace process will be more appreciated once formal talks begin, the forum's chairwoman, Judge Catherine McGuinness, has said.
Judge McGuinness said the restoration of the IRA ceasefire is a "primary requirement" which is strongly desired by the vast majority of people on the island.
Addressing the annual lunch of the Friends of Ardkeen group in Waterford yesterday, she said the construction of "relationships and trust" between people of very different political opinions was one of the main legacies of the forum.
Judge McGuinness said the forum had produced a "very rich body of research" which explored some key areas of North South issues.
She said that as its chairwoman she watched uneasy relationships develop remarkably well. "People do have the ability to sit down together, to compromise and to establish confidence in each other. The forum has been about building confidence. Confidence building is required at every level," she said.