Sir, - Could someone in your editorial department please state why The Irish Times continually converts the "Good Friday Agreement" into the "Belfast Agreement".
The Irish Government, the British Government, the Americans and all the Northern Ireland parties with the exception of some Unionist politicians all refer to the "Good Friday Agreement". A few weeks back in an article by Gerry Adams in The Irish Times your introduction read: "The Belfast Agreement is only a part, though an essential part of the wider ongoing peace process whose primary objective is to remove the causes of conflict, writes Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein." Nowhere in the article did Mr Adams mention "Belfast" but 12 times he mentioned "Good Friday".
So therefore your heading was wrong and Gerry Adams did not write "Belfast Agreement". It seems also that The Irish Times journalists are mandated to use this term for those I have heard interviewed on radio and television also refer to the Belfast Agreement.
The answer may be simple, or it may be significant. I would just like to know why you find it necessary to change the wording when it comes to reports in your newspaper. - Yours, etc., R. Leckey,
Banbridge Co Down
The agreement signed on Good Friday, 1998 is officially the "Belfast Agreement" and was announced as such by the two governments. - Ed., The Irish Times.