BY AUSTIN LYNCH
On 10th April 1998, Good Friday, the leaders of all the political parties in Northern Ireland signed up to an historic peace agreement.
The Belfast Agreement, known affectionately as the, 'Good Friday Agreement', laid the foundations for the Northern Ireland Assembly. Its contents included a blueprint for both release of prisoners and for decommissioning of all paramilitary weapons within two years.
The inter-party talks which led to the agreement - historic in themselves - were chaired by US Senator, George Mitchell and were also presided over by both Irish and British Prime Ministers, Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair.
A Referendum was held on Friday 22nd May and the Agreement was endorsed by 71.12% of the public who voted, 'Yes', paving the way for Assembly elections the following month.
Ten years on, Northern Ireland's political landscape has changed somewhat from then.
After the initial failure of the Good Friday Agreement, the parties found common ground again with the St. Andrew's Agreement which led to the current, functioning, Northern Ireland Assembly.
Ten years ago, the DUP campaigned for a 'No' vote to the Good Friday Agreement. Yet, today its DUP leader, the Rev. Ian Paisley is the North's First Minister (although he will soon step down) working in harmony with his Deputy First Minister, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness. How times have changed.
Ten years ago, Gerry McHugh, MLA (then a member of Sinn Fein) said the Agreement was 'a very important document which affected everyone's future and the future of their children.
At the time, Mr McHugh said Sinn Fein's vision was an end to conflict and social equality for all with people living here together in peace: "And this is something which I believe can be achieved in our lifetime," he added.
Looking back, Councillor McHugh, now an Independent MLA, said he believed it was a very important time for the people of Northern Ireland in trying to end the conflict here but, he also stated in hindsight, 'there were difficulties, and flaws, with the negotiations'.
"People voted to end the conflict and to go forward by peaceful means, but they didn't want the possibility of a united Ireland to go out the window. The Good Friday Agreement has since been watered down on a number of points", he added.
He blamed the outgoing Irish Premier, Bertie Ahern for 'watering down' the All-Ireland bodies enough to get Ian Paisley onboard.
Today, he is working on infrastructural improvements and the need for an urgent upgrade of the road from Ballygawley to Fermanagh- to either dual carriageway or 2+1 status. "Until that happens, we won't be able to sustain jobs in this area."
Ten years ago Gerry McHugh talked about social equality for all but, looking at the situation today, he doesn't believe the people of Fermanagh have equality down here.
"Not only is the roads infrastructure below par with the rest of the North (Enniskillen is the only county town in the North without a bypass)", he suggested, "the Assembly are moving jobs out of Enniskillen back to Belfast - the polar opposite of the decentralisation policy which the Republic's government has been implementing for the past ten years".
Fermanagh SDLP MLA Tommy Gallagher was involved in the political talks from 1992 right up to the 1998 Agreement.
He believes that the signing of the Agreement was a 'landmark time' for the people of Northern Ireland and he also believes it's right that the tenth anniversary of the Agreement is acknowledged.
"It is important that the people voted the Agreement which dealt with how the future of this island was to be shared among its people, and its politicians. It is now possible to start dealing with some legacies of the past, such as policing".
Ten years ago, the DUP's Bert Johnston described the entire Agreement as 'a recipe for bloodshed', and he accused the then UUP leader, David Trimble of treason for surrendering the 1920 Government of Ireland Act. He also claimed the Agreement had laid the foundations for an eventual united Ireland and the destruction of the Union.
On the tenth anniversary Councillor Johnston said this week: "I campaigned against the Belfast Agreement, voted against it and I have not changed my mind about it and would not in any way wish to meet to celebrate its achievements.
Bert Johnston sees the Agreement's achievements as the release of terrorist prisoners, 'who were then appointed to the DPPs, the destruction of the gallant and effective RUC and the setting up of unaccountable cross-border bodies.
"I have no inclination to celebrate this anti-unionist legacy brought about by the UUP, Sinn Fein/IRA and SDLP, with the latter hoodwinking Trimble and company. It is a nonsense to suggest that the peace we enjoy today is simply attributable to the Belfast Agreement."
