North deal may help to settle parades issue, says Martin

THE AGREEMENT between Northern parties to move forward on an agreed basis had the potential to lift the stresses and pressure on communities arising from parades, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin told the Dáil.

“Realising this potential will require generosity of spirit and respect for others on the part of all stakeholders,” he said.

“There is also a duty of care on those who take this work forward to ensure that the rights of all are equitably accommodated.” Mr Martin said the Government would remain close to the process as it progressed through the various stages.

Speaking during a debate on the North, the Minister said parading went to the heart of the remaining divisions in the North.

“While most parades pass off peacefully, there remain a handful of contentious parades and another small few which retain the potential for difficulty,” he added.

“Against this background, the agreement between the parties at Hillsborough sets out a process for an improved framework for the management and regulation of parades.”

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the recent agreement in Hillsborough represented the culmination of many hours of intensive negotiation and engagement on all sides.

“I believe it provides the basis for the future stability and success of the democratic institutions which we have all worked so hard to create and maintain,” he added.

“Fair and balanced compromises were required so that gaps could be bridged and different perspectives accommodated.”

Sinn Féin’s Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin criticised “partitionism which, I am afraid, is widespread in this jurisdiction”. It was heard, he added, “in the type of commentary which lamented the fact that the Taoiseach and the British prime minister had to alter their schedules to attend the negotiations in Hillsborough”.

Mr Ó Caoláin said it was “as if these were some parochial issues that should not be troubling the minds of two international statesmen”.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the positive outcome to the lengthy negotiations had averted the prospect of a prolonged period of instability and uncertainty.

“It required intensive efforts from each party and they have secured a complete and enduring agreement,” he added.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore paid tribute to outgoing SDLP leader, Mark Durkan, and his successor, Margaret Ritchie.

“The SDLP was born out of the civil rights movement in August 1970 and has, for four decades, been the voice of democratic nationalism in Northern Ireland,” he added.

Independent Finian McGrath said that when he talked about equality and respect for the unionist tradition, which he fully supported, he expected to receive the same respect for his tradition which stemmed from that of Tone and Connolly.