Reid hails NI peace 'green shoots'

Dr Reid says the province has changed for the better

A "monumental distance" has been travelled since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, the Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid has said.

In a statement marking the fourth anniversary of the agreement, Dr Reid said while there had been problems in the peace process, there were many positives.

"It is always possible to dwell on difficulties facing the peace process and focusing on what has yet to be done but we should also remember just how far we have come over the last four years," he commented.

Real life in Northern Ireland has changed over the last four years and is continuing to change for the better

Dr John Reid

And in a separate interview he said critics of the agreement should look to the Middle East to see what happens when politicians fail to resolve conflicts.

Speaking to the ePolitix.com website, Dr Reid admitted the province does not have a perfect peace or a perfect democracy, but added: "the first green shoots of the new Northern Ireland are appearing".

His comments came after a row over the implementation of the agreement broke out a meeting he was hosting on Thursday.

IRA weapons

In the interview, Dr Reid said the Middle East shows the alternative to political agreement is terrorist activity and a great many more deaths.

He said: "People only need look round the world to the Middle East, and elsewhere, to see what happens when politics fails to resolve conflicts."

The minister refused to be drawn on strong speculation that the IRA is on the verge of giving up more weapons after its first act of decommissioning last October.

But he said the process of putting weapons beyond use should proceed rapidly.

And in his statement, he said: "Away from centre-stage politics, real life in Northern Ireland has changed over the last four years and is continuing to change for the better".

Achievements

Dr Reid said it was tragic that there are some groups, who can not be considered to be on ceasefire.

But he said he was generally optimistic about the future of the province following the agreement.

"The first green shoots of the new Northern Ireland are appearing and I think on the anniversary of that, it is as well for us all to reflect not on what remains to be done, which we all know, but on what we have achieved," Dr Reid said.

Asked about recent suggestions of a referendum in the province on whether it should stay in the UK the minister said the idea was neither ruled out or in.

Dr Reid said he would talk to all rather than give a knee-jerk reaction.

The question was last put to the people of Northern Ireland nearly 30 years ago.

Talks

On Thursday Northern Ireland's first minister David Trimble said the Good Friday Agreement is being undermined by "side issues".

He was speaking after talks between the British and Irish governments and the pro-Agreement parties.

The talks came against a background of intense speculation that the IRA is about to dispose of more weapons - a suggestion criticised by Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams.