At long last, after three months of vivid scenes of sectarianism, politics is becoming engaged in the dispute at the Holy Cross Girls' School in the Ardoyne area of North Belfast. With the Belfast Agreement stabilised again, the Northern Ireland Executive restored and the political institutions back in business, a joint attempt by the leaders of the two communities to end the stand-off is under way. It is as welcome as it is belated.
The harrowing spectacle of the harassment of young Catholic school girls on their way to their primary school in North Belfast conjures up a mental imagery as vivid, in its way, as the attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11th. The scale, of course, is smaller.
Pupils as young as five have had to be accompanied by their parents along the contested Ardoyne Road to the front entrance of their school for the past twelve weeks. The children and parents have been escorted, in turn, by as many as 500 police officers and British soldiers behind a double wall of riot shields and vehicles.
There have been many attempts by individual politicians and churchmen over the past three months to end the dispute. But to no avail. The terror and the tears on the faces of small children have continued to appear on television screens almost daily. The belated involvement of the newly elected First Minister, Mr Trimble, and Deputy First Minister, Mr Durkan, in negotiations to reach an accommodation is welcome. They met representatives of the board of governors of Holy Cross Girls' School and the Catholic parents earlier this week. They engaged in what was described as "a listening session" with representatives of the loyalist Glenbryn Estate last night. Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan dampened down expectations of an immediate breakthrough yesterday.
The president of Sinn FΘin, Mr Adams, suggested that the the belief in the potential of the North's institutions to deliver change could well be judged on how they faced up to this blockade. The Holy Cross protest is a manifestation of the worst in Northern Ireland - the deep-rooted sectarianism, the siege mentality - and a challenge to all who are committed to a just and equal society. For the sake of the children, it must end.