The Good Friday Agreement is often referred to as the Good Friday Agreement because it was signed on that day in April 1998. It is also known as The Belfast Agreement. The document is divided into three strands reflecting the complexity of the new arrangements. Strand One deals with institutional arrangements in Northern Ireland; Strand Two with the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and Strand Three with the relationships between both parts of Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement both the British and Irish governments made constitutional and legislative changes to their expressions of sovereignty over Northern Ireland. The British government agreed to repeal the Government of Ireland Act 1920. In a 1998 referendum the people of the Irish Republic agreed to amend Articles 2 & 3 of their Constitution.
The Good Friday Agreement set up a system of governance in Northern Ireland designed to accommodate deep-seated political rivalries. The power-sharing Executive composed of ten ministers drawn from four political parties plus the First and Deputy First Ministers, is effectively the government. The 108-member Assembly, elected on the basis of proportional representation, provides the members for the committee system, which advise and assist each of the government departments. Although not a layer of government, the Belfast Agreement established a consultative Civic Forum to support the work of the Assembly.
The Good Friday Agreement established three separate bodies to deal with the increasingly complex, overlapping relationships between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The North-South Ministerial Council deals with the totality of relationships within the island of Ireland. The British-Irish Council provides a forum for the representatives of the London and Dublin governments, the devolved institutions in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh as well as the crown dependencies of the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Finally, the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference brings together the two governments to promote bi-lateral co-operation.
Equality and rights are at the centre of the Good Friday Agreement. The Agreement is committed to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all as well as partnership, equality and mutual respect. The Equality Commission and the Human Rights Commission are the two institutions responsible for ensuring that the civil, political, social and cultural rights of everyone are respected.
Policing, criminal justice, decommissioning, prisoner releases and security were politically contentious aspects of the Good Friday Agreement. Independent commissions were established to deal with police reform and criminal justice and an international commission was set up to oversee the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. The British government committed itself to normalising security but linked the process of demilitarisation to the level of threat from dissident loyalist and republican groups. The early release of paramilitary prisoners was particularly distressing for victims and their families.
Two Labour MPs have been appointed to John Reid’s ministerial team in Belfast as the Northern Ireland Secretary today confirmed the re-introduction of direct rule from London.
The power-sharing executive and Stormont Assembly are to be suspended from midnight on the 14th October after the Government refused Ulster Unionist demands to expel Sinn Fein’s two ministers in the aftermath of the IRA spying allegations.
The British and Irish governments are to press for an immediate resumption of all-party talks in a bid to get the process up and running again but it could be months - even years - before devolution is restored.
It is the fourth time the administration has been suspended since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998, and the Stormont Assembly is expected to be thick with recrimination for this afternoon's final session.
At Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, Dr Reid blamed a loss of trust on both sides of the community for the difficulties. He declared: "The time has come for people to face up to the choice between violence and democracy."
Dr Reid said the date for next May's elections to the Assembly still stood. He added: "We have come an enormous distance in recent years. The peace process and the Agreement have increased prosperity, revitalised society, safeguarded rights and above all, saved lives. I am determined that these benefits should not be lost, but should increase.
"The Agreement remains a template for political process here in Northern Ireland. I hope the decision I have taken today marks a breathing space - a chance to gather strength - before that process moves forward once again."
The appointment of the two new ministers - Angela Smith (Basildon) and Ian Pearson (Dudley South) brings to five the number who will now run Northern Ireland's affairs for the foreseeable future.
Dr Reid said he intended to have talks with the outgoing First Minister, David Trimble, and Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan as well the Irish government before discussions with the various parties, hopefully next week.
The administration of Northern Ireland was a matter for the Government. There would be no joint administration but as part of inclusive nature of the process there would be talks with Dublin.
Dr Reid said the new direct rule ministers would be allocated their portfolios later this week. His message to loyalist and republican paramilitaries was that they had "no authority, no legitimacy, no morality, no political basis", for taking up arms.
Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein President, accused the Secretary of State of dishonesty during his announcement of suspension. "He attempts to project himself and his government as referees in this situation.
"You cannot talk about democracy while suspending now for the third time in his term as Secretary of State the institutions," he said.
Surrounded by his entire Assembly team, Mr Adams said he had no confidence in Dr Reid's assertion that he would implement all aspects of the Agreement.
"We are in this particular situation because once again unionists threaten the institutions and Dr Reid moved to accommodate them."
The Ulster Unionist deputy chief whip David McClarty expressed disappointment that in suspending the Assembly the Government was throwing the good out with the bad.
He said: “We would have wanted the Prime Minister to look up to his commitment of July this year when he said that those who weren’t committed to exclusively peaceful and democratic methods would be excluded.
“However, having said that I’m delighted to hear the Secretary of State say that the concentration during the time of suspension would be on those who haven’t lived up to those commitments, to try to get them to put away their arms and begin to dismantle and disband.
“The shorter the period of suspension the better because devolution has been good for the people of Northern Ireland.”
Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern today said in a statement today: "The two governments are both deeply saddened by today's developments. We remain totally committed to the full implementation of the Agreement, which has already brought great gains and tangible benefits to the people of Northern Ireland.
"It is clear, however, that devolved government cannot be made to work effectively in circumstances where there has been a breakdown of trust between those involved."
The said: "We deplore the scourges of paramilitarism and sectarianism which have led to increased tension and violence. We are determined that their destructive agenda will not succeed, and will be countered by the full rigour of the law."
The leaders said they would work with all parties to try to secure the end of direct rule and the re-introduction of an "inclusive Executive" before elections scheduled for next May.
The Northern Ireland peace process is to be put on hold until the Prime Minister receives a “clear and unequivocal commitment” that the IRA will disband.
Tony Blair, speaking as it appeared increasingly likely that the Stormont power-sharing Assembly will be put into deep freeze, said that “everybody understood” that the republican strategy of maintaining both political and paramilitary wings could no longer continue. His remarks came after what was described by government sources as a “frank” exchange of views with Sinn Fein leaders at Downing Street.
Mr Blair, who is said to be extremely frustrated by allegations of an IRA spy ring at Stormont, is expected to take a final decision on the future of the peace process today. Officials will hammer out details of what will follow suspension over the weekend.
Mr Blair made clear to reporters travelling with him to Moscow that the peace process would have to be put into cold storage until there had been fresh guarantees that all parties were committed to democracy and peace. He suggested that the spy-ring controversy had shown that a “dual track” approach by Sinn Fein of paramilitary and political activity was now “not merely the perception but the reality”.
With a monumental chasm of distrust now separating Unionists and republicans, his task will be to ensure that the suspension of the Stormont Assembly and executive is not followed by a total collapse of the peace process.
Speaking after the Downing Street meeting, Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president, said the demand for the IRA to disband by Christmas was “a bit like wishing for Santa Claus”.
However, political commentators seized on his acknowledgement that disbandment was “a laudable and necessary objective of this process”. One said: “It’s not very much, and it’s not going to happen in weeks but in Sinn Fein-speak that means the door is opening ever so slightly.”
David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, has warned Mr Blair that he will quit the executive by Tuesday unless the Government expels Sinn Fein’s two ministers. Instead, Mr Blair is expected to suspend the power-sharing institutions, probably on Monday.
An announcement by John Reid, the Northern Ireland Secretary, is expected to be followed by an emergency statement to the Commons on Tuesday. To help to run the Province, the Government is expected to appoint two junior ministers to assist Dr Reid.
With a return to direct rule days away, Mr Blair will focus on how to ensure a “soft landing” for the peace process. At least some of the new institutions will continue, including the cross-community policing board, whose members are expected to be renominated.
The prospect of direct rule “with a green tinge” will become a reality as the more mundane functions of the cross-border ministerial council are expected to continue. The Government will seek to convene talks with the main parties soon while it will also decide whether to postpone local elections set for May.
Stormont’s 12 ministers will lose their salaries. The Assembly’s 108 members, who will continue to do constituency work, will still draw a large part of their salary.
Despite the latest crisis, the most serious since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Mr Blair said he believed all the main parties were still committed to the peace process.
