LONDON/DUBLIN, April 10: Northern Ireland stands on the brink of peace which could end 30 years of violence and mark the beginning of a new political settlement for the province.US mediator George Mitchell formally announced today that all participants in the Northern Ireland peace talks had approved a historic peace deal to end conflict.``I am pleased to announce that the two Governments and the political parties of Northern Ireland have reached agreement,'' Mitchell said. But the details of the package were not available at the time of going to the Press.Earlier in the day, Tony Blair's official spokesman described the final document as a ``balanced package'' which guaranteed that any change in the constitutional status of Northern Ireland could only be made with the consent of its people and recognised the nationalist identity through cross-border institutions.The chief obstacle to the agreement was the opposing goals of the two sides of the conflict and their perceptions of what the proposednew institutions will eventually deliver. The sticking point with the Unionists was the creation of cross-border councils ratified by the Parliaments in Dublin and London, which they felt paved the way to a future united Ireland. The proposal for an elected assembly for Ulster, acceptable to the Unionists, is something that Sinn Fein was opposed to because it saw this as an obstacle to any eventual unification of Ireland.The Ulster Unionists (UUP), who threw the peace process into crisis less than 48 hours from the deadline, appear to have won concessions on the formation and functioning of cross-border bodies. Sinn Fein, while, not completely satisfied with the outcome of the re-negotiated document, says that it has secured concessions on police reform, treatment of political prisoners, etc. Sinn Fein chairman Mitchell McLaughlin said ``There are other very important issues before we could go back to our party.but we give this commitment: We'll work right up to the very last second.''If things gowell, the deal will be put to a referendum, possibly as early as May 22. If the people of Ulster and Ireland and the Parliaments of both countries say yes, elections to the proposed Northern Ireland Assembly could take place at the end of June. A committee or executive will be appointed under a proportionality system based on the strength of the parties in the Assembly.The sense of history being made is overwhelming. An Irish Minister speaking to journalists said that he was privileged to be involved in the peace process. The Nationalist, Social Democratic and Labour Party, leader John Hume, who is in many ways, the father of this peace process, told reporters in Belfast, ``It's been a long hard road but we have got there today. I think that for all our people Good Friday will be a very good Friday.'' Nothing could be more indicative of the distance that still has to be covered than the fact that the main Unionist party, the UUP, refuses to talk directly to Sinn Fein.
