Andrews calls on Talks parties to focus on the great prize of peace

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr David Andrews, TD, on a visit South Down, has spoken of his hopes for a political settlement arising out of the Multi-Party Talks. Mr Andrews said that "we are now fully into the real business of the Talks. The papers tabled by the two Governments last week have succeeded in moving the process on from generalities to specifics. Many difficult hours and days lie ahead, and we will all have to dig deep into our reserves of imagination and determination. But it is more important than ever that we remain firmly focussed on the great prize which is now coming within reach, and take risks for peace and agreement".

Minister Andrews told a group in Newcastle, Co. Down that "the existence of the three strands is a clear recognition that agreement must be found within and across the three fundamental sets of relationships: within Northern Ireland, on the island of Ireland, and between Ireland and Britain. There can be no new beginning in any one of these without a new beginning in them all".

Mr Andrews said that "there can be, and will be, no return to the old-style Stormont. In fairness, none of the unionist parties now advocates such a step. The position of the two Governments is also crystal-clear. In the Framework Document, we confirmed that ‘cross-community agreement is an essential requirement for the establishment and operation'of structures in Northern Ireland".

"The details of how an Assembly would work are being negotiated among the parties. But everyone knows that there will have to be built-in guarantees of the role and interests of both communities. Effectively, an Assembly will only be able to work through broad cross-community agreement and through partnership". The Minister stressed that "there can be no

question of a purely internal settlement. The very existence of the Strand Two and Strand Three negotiations makes it apparent that there must also be North/South and East/West structures and arrangements".

Mr Andrews underlined the fact that "strong and meaningful North/South structures, including the creation of bodies with executive functions in a number of key sectors, and with a capacity to evolve further over time, have in my view to be a central part of any settlement. But they too must work through agreement, and be democratically accountable. In developing the relationship on this island, partnership and compromise must be our watchwords".

"The various institutions agreed in the negotiations will, and logically must be, interlocking. To put it simply, for there to be a genuine and effective North/South Council, there has to be an Assembly within Northern Ireland from which Northern representatives can be drawn. And let me emphasise that the North-South Council must have a clear role and a wide remit", Mr Andrews said.

Note for Editors: Today's visit is the second visit by the Minister to Northern Ireland outside the Talks process. On 7/8 January, Minister Andrews visited Belfast and Armagh. The present visit is focused primarily on the South Down Constituency whose M.P. is Eddie McGrady of the SDLP. Mr Andrews has engagements in Downpatrick, Castlewellan, Newcastle, Kilkeel and Warrenpoint togehter with a meeting with local residents on the Lower Ormeau Road in Belfast. Top