Proposed plan to overcome the current deadlock in the peace process

Suspend the institutions;

Suspend the institutions;

Set up a new mechanism for political negotiations among political parties of Northern Ireland only, creating their ownership of the dialogue, developing their own chemistry together and mechanisms for problem-solving, just as we in South Africa invented the concept of "sufficient consensus" for our needs. In short, take the process out of the hands of the two governments. Unionists must face republicans across the negotiating table, and vice-versa, with no intermediary to run to when the going gets tough, which it will;

Set a target date for a Good Friday Two and stick to it;

Travel away to a neutral venue, far from the hothouse political atmosphere in Northern Ireland;

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Let them visit South Africa, not to copy but to reflect and generate ideas; also Jerusalem, to see what happens when trust and respect are not apparent;

Define the end objective clearly to enable willing parties to work jointly towards a common future; having established the goal, then work backwards to set milestones and processes, targets and mechanisms to ensure a safe passage to the goal;

Find agreement on key constitutional requirements, such as a Bill of Rights, to help the move away from group, over individual, rights;

Build respect amongst the key political players, not the sullen, adversarial suspicion I have observed on my visits and in my discussions. Politicians need not like each other but, in my experience, they must have respect for each other;

Come back to the people of Northern Ireland with a clear vision, a clear plan and a fresh commitment to deliver on the unmet hopes of Good Friday One;

Perhaps most importantly, and what was notably lacking from round one, accept joint responsibility for the implementation of Good Friday Two. Don't always invoke and then blame someone else.