One of the founding members of the Alliance Party, Basil Glass, died today.
Mr Glass (79) represented South Belfast in the Stormont Assembly of the 1970s and was a member of the Alliance negotiating team in the talks that culminated in the Sunningdale Agreement in 1973.
Alliance Party leader David Ford expressed his sadness at the death. "Basil played a leading role in the foundation of the Alliance Party. He will be remembered for his commitment to reconciliation, in its widest scope, not just for Alliance."
Mr Ford added: "Within the Alliance Party, Basil helped build its solid foundations. He was also heavily involved in working on behalf of the community of South Belfast, where he served as councillor and Assembly member in the 1970s."
Mr Glass was also a well-known Belfast solicitor and after retirement from politics, he became a Master of the Supreme Court and from which he retired a few years ago.