Turkish and Kurdish leaders have been visiting London, Belfast and Dublin to learn about the negotiations that led to the breakthrough Good Friday accords under Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern.
“Although there are historical differences between Northern Ireland and Turkey, it was very important. I learned a lot,” said Ayla Akat, a Kurdish MP who recalled meetings with Jonathan Powell, Blair’s chief of staff, and learning of his “bicycle theory” of conducting negotiations: “You’ve got to keep pedalling or you fall over.”
– (Guardian service)