As a result of the Good Friday Agreement (also known as the Belfast Agreement), a nearly three-decade conflict that killed around 3,600 people and injured 36,000 was largely resolved.
Efforts to end the violent clashes in the conflict between mostly Catholic nationalists, who wanted the reunification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, and predominantly Protestant supporters of the union with Great Britain, in which the British security forces were also involved, had repeatedly failed.
Negotiations often before termination
The talks that would ultimately lead to the Good Friday Agreement were also repeatedly on the brink. The governments of the UK and Ireland and eight Northern Ireland parties were involved in the negotiations. The largest of these were the Protestant unionist Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the moderately pro-Irish Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP). Their party leaders David Trimble (UUP) and John Hume (SDLP) were later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Paramilitary groups were excluded from the talks. However, parties believed to have links with them did take part, such as Sinn Fein, which was considered the political arm of the underground Catholic organization Irish Republican Army (IRA). The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Ian Paisley was the only one of Northern Ireland’s main parties not to participate.
USA as an important mediator
The peace efforts were also supported by the United States. The then US President Bill Clinton sent George Mitchell as mediator, who officially announced the agreement in a final public session on Good Friday 1998: “I am happy to be able to say that the two governments and the political parties of Northern Ireland have reached an agreement,” said the former senator.
According to media reports at the time, he urged the extremists on both sides to avoid a relapse into violence: “Your path is the wrong one, it won’t solve any problems, it will create new ones.”
“Bright future” expected
The British Prime Minister at the time, Tony Blair, and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern, also took part in the marathon negotiations shortly before Easter. After the conclusion, Blair recognized the commitment of all negotiators and said all political leaders “took a considerable risk” to enter the negotiation process. Ahern said the path to a “bright future” is now clear.
The settlement formally included a treaty between the UK and Irish governments and an agreement between the Northern Irish parties. While recognizing Northern Ireland’s constitutional status as part of the United Kingdom, it also recognized that Irish reunification could occur if a majority in the British provinces supported it.
While London undertook to hold a referendum if such a majority in Northern Ireland seemed likely, Dublin agreed to amend its constitution to abandon territorial claims to Northern Ireland.
Complex regulations
The agreement established a power-sharing between Protestants and Catholics. Among other things, it was agreed to create a regional assembly with legislative and executive powers, which would be responsible for finance, economic development, social affairs, health, education, the environment and agriculture.
In order to prevent a dominance of the (then) 60 percent Protestant population, important decisions had to find a majority among the representatives of both denominations. However, a bill should also be considered passed if 60 percent of parliament and at least 40 percent each of Protestants and Catholics agree.
Free choice with passport
The Assembly’s executive should consist of a First Minister (Regional Head of Government), his deputy and up to ten ministers, elected and dismissed by the Assembly according to the strength of the factions. It was also agreed that institutions should be set up to promote cooperation between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (“North-South”) and between Great Britain and Ireland (“East-West”). Under the agreement, those born in Northern Ireland can get a British or Irish passport – or both.
Police reform central part
Part of the agreement was also a reform of the Protestant-dominated Northern Irish police force, the early release of paramilitary prisoners and the disarmament of paramilitary groups. The British government should try to reduce the size of its armed forces in Northern Ireland to normal levels. Safety devices such as checkpoints on the roads should also be gradually removed.
Clear majorities in votes
Before the Good Friday Agreement could take effect, it had to be confirmed in referendums in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The corresponding referendums took place on May 22, 1998 and resulted in a high level of support among the population. In the Republic of Ireland, 94 per cent voted in favour, while in Northern Ireland the figure was 71 per cent, with a turnout of 81 per cent, with support being significantly higher among Catholics (96 per cent) than among Protestants (52 per cent). The agreement finally came into force in December 1999.
The bloody conflict in Northern Ireland, also known as the “Troubles”, was largely settled as a result of the 1998 agreement. Paramilitary splinter groups, however, rejected the Good Friday Agreement and continued to commit isolated acts of violence.
The worst such attack occurred in the year of the peace agreement itself: on August 15, 1998, a car bomb attack in the city of Omagh killed 29 people and injured more than 200 others. The IRA spin-off Real IRA was blamed for the attack. It was the deadliest attack in the Northern Ireland conflict.
