… As praise pours in for accord

After a day-and-a-half of non-stop talks, weary negotiators concluded the accord bringing peace to Northern Ireland for the first time in decades, marking a new political phase in centuries of disputes between Britain and Ireland.

Clinton said that “in the days to come, there may be those who will try to undermine this great achievement not only with words but perhaps also with violence. All the parties and the rest of us must stand shoulder-to-shoulder to defy any such appeals,” he said.

In South Africa, President Mandela said, “This historic breakthrough has once again demonstrated the value of negotiation and consultation rather than confrontation and upheaval.”

InBrussels, the European Union said the accord “pays tribute to the persistence and determination of all the negotiators involved”. The European Union executive arm, the European Commission, said, “The settlement shows that the will of the people for peace and cooperation is stronger than the divide.”

In France, President Jacques Chirac praised British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern for the “historic” accord which “should serve as a model for the international community.”

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel welcomed the accord as a “historic event” that “opens the way to a peaceful, just and durable resolution of a conflict that has killed more than 3,200 people in the last 30 years.”

In Belfast, Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, said, “We have a long way to go if we are to achieve a durable and a lasting peace …Clearly there is still a huge gap of distrust between (Catholic) nationalists and (Protestant)unionists. It must be bridged on the basis of equality.”

Blair expressed his “pride and pleasure” at the agreement and his determination to see it through.

“I said when I arrived here that I felt the hand of history upon us. Today I hope that the burden of history can at long last start to be lifted from our shoulders,” the British premier said.

Ahern said the agreement “marks a new beginning for all of us. It’s a day we should treasure. ”