The Czech President, Mr Vaclav Havel, told members of the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont yesterday the tremendous effort which led to the Belfast Agreement could be an example to other countries where seemingly insoluble conflicts had to be resolved, Carol Coulter reports.
"I wanted, through my voice and my presence, to add strength to the peace process and to the idea of reconciliation here in Northern Ireland," Mr Havel said.
He added: "More important than the technical aspects is the underlying commitment to human rights and liberties, to the rights of those coming from different traditions." He told members the strongest impression had been made by a conversation he had had with Mr David Trimble and Mr Seamus Mallon. He asked them if an act of violence could change the climate so much that it would bring Northern Ireland back to the days before the agreement.
"The answer, from both simultaneously, was `No'," he said.
Mr Trimble said he had greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet Mr Havel, who had demonstrated a genuine grasp of the issues. Mr Mallon said he had come through political change in his own country where he had inspired his people towards fundamental political change through peaceful democratic means.
Earlier Mr Havel had a private meeting at Hillsborough Castle with victims of the conflict, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield of the victims' liaison unit and Mr Adam Ingram, the Minister responsible for victims.
Mr Havel, President of the Czech Republic since 1993, actively opposed the Soviet invasion after the short-lived "Prague Spring" in 1968.
He was a founder member of Charter 77, a human rights initiative, and was jailed for his views several times. He is the author of The Art Of The Impossible.