The following is the draft statement drawn up by the two governments for issuing by the political parties if the overall package is acceptable to them:
Draft All-Party Statement On The Institutions
In the context of all these steps that are now being taken to implement the Agreement in all its aspects, the parties reaffirm their commitment to the full and stable operation of the institutions, which are the democratic core of the Agreement.
They recall that they pledged that they would, in good faith, work to ensure the success of each and every one of the arrangements to be established under the Agreement. They recall also that the balanced constitutional changes brought about by the Agreement were implemented on the basis that they accepted in the Agreement that all of the institutional and constitutional arrangements - an Assembly in Northern Ireland, a North/South Ministerial Council, implementation bodies, a British-Irish Council and a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and any amendments to British Acts of Parliament and the Constitution of Ireland - were interlocking and interdependent. Accordingly, each party, reaffirming the Pledge of Office in all its respects, undertakes to play its full part in these institutions and to enable the other parties to play their rightful parts also.
They look forward to renewed programmes of work and meetings in both the NSMC and BIC, in accordance with the Agreement, with Ministers participating fully in all meetings relevant to their responsibilities. In particular, early dates for outstanding meetings of the North/South Ministerial Council in plenary format and in sectoral format on education and health and food safety will be agreed within one month.
The parties confirm that, to enable planning and preparation to proceed, meetings and Ministerial attendance will, as far as possible and consistently with the duties and role of the First and Deputy First Minister, as outlined in the Agreement, to co-ordinate the response of the Northern Ireland administration to external relationships, be agreed six months in advance. In accordance with the Agreement, at sectoral meetings the Executive's representation will include the appropriate Minister able to take decisions in the Council on the relevant sector. Where the holder of a relevant post will not participate normally in the Council, the First and Deputy First Minister will be able to make alternative arrangements.
Should difficulties arise with the above arrangements, they will be dealt with in accordance with the review provisions of the Agreement.