With the assistance of huge international support, now is the time to press ahead with devolved government in Northern Ireland, writes Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Next Monday, Northern Ireland will have its own government after more than four years of suspension. The new Northern Ireland executive will be formed by the Assembly elected by the voters on March 7th. It will be responsive to the needs and wishes of those voters, equipped to deal with water charges, education reform and to position Northern Ireland's economy for the future. And it will be wholly accountable to the people for the decisions it takes. That is according to the timetable proposed by the Irish and British governments in St Andrews last October.
The date of March 26th is not the governments' date. It was acknowledged by all political parties when they accepted St Andrews as the way forward for Northern Ireland. It was approved and set in law by parliament in Westminster. It was endorsed by the people of Northern Ireland when they voted this month to give a clear mandate for implementation of the St Andrews Agreement.
The agreement has overwhelming international support.
The Taoiseach and I were struck in Washington last week by the determination of US president George Bush and of our friends and supporters in Congress to see this agreement succeed next week. The speaker of New York City Council, Christine Quinn, reinforced that message of encouragement and practical support when she met with parties in Belfast yesterday.
The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has written to the leaders of the parties preparing for government to underline his interest in ensuring good co-operation with the incoming executive.
Now is the time to harness that great goodwill in making government work for the people of Northern Ireland. Because that goodwill may not survive in the face of further procrastination.
Will devolved government be a reality next week? We will certainly be working flat out to ensure that it is. Peter Hain and I have been in contact almost on a daily basis to see that all of the necessary preparations are concluded. We will be staying in close touch in the days ahead.
For our part, the Government has made clear its willingness to work closely with the incoming executive and to provide practical support for projects of mutual interest.
Priorities include high-quality cross-Border roads, particularly to the northwest, the Ulster Canal and Narrow Water bridge.
Better practical, all-island co-operation has been my priority from day one in this job. I intend to carry that forward with the new executive, just as I have with Peter Hain.
Will the timetable become a reality? Only the political parties - and particularly the DUP - can answer that question. They will have to do so on Monday next when the Assembly meets for the first time.
Some have sought to portray the deadline as a high-stakes game of political poker where, in the end, someone will blink, where there can be only winners and losers.
It is not. Nothing could be further from the truth. If the deadline is not met, there will be no winners; only losers. And the biggest losers of all will be the voters in Northern Ireland who turned out in large numbers this month to elect a government - their government.
Let us hope that common sense prevails. The partnership between the British and Irish governments has been the backbone of this process from its outset.
That partnership will continue and intensify if the political parties cannot form a government next week.
I hope and believe that this time next week the process will be strengthened by a new partnership - between the Government and the new Northern Ireland executive.