Palestine given NI 'peace lesson'

A University of Ulster delegation is at a peace conference in Ramallah

Experts from the University of Ulster are among a delegation from Ireland in the Middle East for a conference examining Northern Ireland's peace process.

The five-day event, which ends on Thursday, is being held in the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

It will explore crucial points in Irish history and British-Irish relations over the past 100 years.

The conference is entitled "Ireland and Palestine - Divided Countries United by History" and has been organised by the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.

Magee Provost Professor Tom Fraser and Helen Lewis, Project Coordinator with INCORE, the international conflict research centre based at the Londonderry campus, are among those from the university who have made the trip.

Trouble spots

Professor Fraser said the conference was a chance for people from two of the world's longest running trouble spots to talk and learn from each other's experiences.

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"Tragically, the events of the past few days in the Middle East have shown once again that the region is still a powder-keg," he said.

Helen Lewis explained that the delegation wanted to provide Palestinian participants with an introduction into the history and politics of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

"Part of my work with INCORE is in trying to export the Northern Ireland peace process experience," she said.

"Politicians have gone from here previously to share their experience with groups in Palestine and Israel.

"Maybe out of this trip we will be able to lay the foundations for building connections between people at grassroots level.

"That is a particular aim of INCORE and Intercomm."

Other members of the Northern Ireland group who have travelled to the West Bank include Liam Maskey, executive director of Intercomm, the Intercommunity Development Project based in north Belfast, and Jack O'Connor, director of INTERREG, the special EU programmes body.