The historic peace deal is 25 years old this year
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern regards lingering instability of Northern Ireland’s political institutions as one of his biggest regrets from the Good Friday Agreement talks.
Speaking to PA as part of a series of interviews to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Ahern said the ability to collapse the institutions is an undemocratic issue that should not be possible and “shouldn’t have happened”. Get the latest politics news and analysis in your inbox Want the biggest political stories sent straight to you?
He said it caused a lot of friction and was likely the cause of a key negotiator in the talks, then Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble, losing his seat as an MP in 2005. The Irish public voted to amend its constitution to remove an explicit territorial claim over Northern Ireland, but maintained an aim to unite the two jurisdictions under democratic consent.
He said their priority was to stop the violence and “bring an end to this mayhem of thousands being killed” by fostering trust, confidence and a sense of humanity among the multi-party participants of the talks who at times would not speak to each other.
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