THE historical importance of the first meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council at Stormont should not be underestimated, according to the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue.
Mr O'Donoghue and Ms Liz O'Donnell, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, yesterday sat across the table from the North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, and the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, to convene the council in transitional form.
The inaugural full plenary meeting of the council will take place on December 13th. "Today should not be understated or underestimated. It's been a long and harrowing journey for a considerable number of parties, not least for the people of this island. There are many, I'm sure, who thought this day would never come, but it has come," said Mr O'Donoghue.
He said he was confident IRA decommissioning would occur but would not be drawn on the issue and added it should be "left where it lies" in the interest of the peace process.
In accordance with the Belfast Agreement, the North-South Ministerial council met yesterday in shadow form before today's changes to Article 2 and 3 and prior to the devolution of power. The council yesterday agreed the structure of the six implementation bodies to be established in the areas of trade and business development, language, aquaculture and marine matters, special EU programmes, food safety and inland waterways.
It also endorsed the cross-Border co-ordinated co-operation to take place in transport, agriculture, education, health, environment and tourism. Arrangements for the council's standing joint secretariat were also agreed.
Ms O'Donnell said the institutions, as well as the council and today's first meeting of the North's executive, would help establish peace and a political settlement in the North. However, the North-South bodies should not be seen as a "Trojan horse" for a united Ireland, she added.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon earlier expressed their satisfaction that the devolution of power from Westminster was close. Mr Trimble said the new administration would not be akin to the "talking shops" of old.
"We're going to have a institution responsible in terms of what it has to do and with responsibility to the people as well, changing the culture in terms of how politics is conducted in Northern Ireland . . . and not before time, too."
He said the refusal of the two DUP ministers to attend today's executive meeting was "a wrinkle that will iron itself out in time".
Mr Mallon said the Assembly was now "in business" but admitted it was a "frightening thought" that power would be transferred within hours.