The callous murder of Denis Donaldson earlier this week is a brutal reminder of Northern Ireland's tortured and tragic past. Today, here in Armagh is about putting that past behind us once and for all. It's about putting politics centre stage. It's about giving political responsibility back to Northern Ireland's politicians.
When Prime Minister Blair and I met in Dublin earlier this year, we said we wanted to see the restoration of devolved partnership government in Northern Ireland as soon as possible this year. In recent months, the parties have been asking the governments to give direction and leadership.
We are now doing so and outlining our agreed strategy for the restoration of the Assembly and devolved government. It is fitting that the location of this meeting and announcement is Navan Fort (or Emhain Macha as it is known in Irish). As the ancient capital of Ulster, it played a central role in the very early history of this island. And so today, once again, this place of history is centre stage in the politics of this island. The message of the Irish people in 1998 was clear. They supported the Good Friday agreement. They endorsed the new arrangements and new politics of that agreement. The time has now come to build on all of this and to move the process on. Both the prime minister and I are united in our conviction that the devolved government of the Good Friday agreement is what will best allow Northern Ireland to move on and to prosper. Today, we are placing Northern Ireland's politicians back on the path to power. We are giving them the opportunity to take power back into their own hands. There is no more obvious responsibility for an elected politician.There is a particular onus on those parties with the largest mandate and who will occupy the positions of leadership in a restored Executive.
If an Executive cannot be successfully formed in the time available, then the governments are also agreed that we will exercise our responsibilities to ensure that the agreement is implemented to the maximum possible extent for the benefit of all communities. ... Bertie Ahern