Agreement Parties Take Stock

The DUP and Sinn Fein have each marked the first anniversary of the joint devolution deal with a review of the past year.

The end of the IRA Army Council is in sight, claims DUP MP and Assembly Junior Minister Jeffrey Donaldson, who said that much progress had been made.

Noting that today marks a year to the day since Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams agreed to go into devolved government - on May 8 - he said: "We have established stability for our political institutions and local politicians are getting down to the business of providing good government.

"While there is still a long way to go we have completed together a Programme for Government and a Budget which will deliver an improved economic situation for everyone in Northern Ireland.

"There are still unresolved issues, for example, the continued existence of the IRA Army Council.

"But we are confident that these will be resolved and well bedded in before the end of 2008."

Mr Donaldson said that the historic deal between the two party leaders had substantially raised the stock of Northern Ireland internationally, which it was hoped could be built on during the planned international investment conference in May.

He said his party realised that many people have real concerns about power-sharing but that hopefully Northern Ireland had now moved away from its "terrible" past.

Sinn Fein Junior Minister Gerry Kelly had a similar analysis but did not mention the IRA Army Council at all.

Mr Kelly said both parties had made significant progress "despite the fact that people said the DUP and Sinn Fein would never do the deal".

He noted that the parties had dealt with water rates and the Review of Public Administration.

Mr Kelly added: "We expect further progress to be made in the coming 12 months."

(BMcC)