Breaking deadlocks
"At the heart of all the problems in (........) is mistrust. Each disbelieves the other. Each assumes the worst about the other". The words were spoken by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, whose patient and skilful efforts as chairman in the Northern Ireland peace talks led to the Good Friday agreement, about the two main political parties in Northern Ireland. There are many who would utter similar sentiments about the two main political parties here in connection with the dialogue proposed by the Herdmanston Accord which has never really got off the ground. In a piece in the Independent on Sunday speculating on the possible return of Mr Mitchell in an effort to break the decommissioning deadlock that threatens the agreement David Mc Kittrick had this to say: "From the minute he first became involved in Northern Ireland in early l995, then in the role of Bill Clinton's economic envoy, his American `can do' manner generated both optimism and interest. His style was not that of brash and impatient hubris. Instead, it was obvious from the word go that this was a mature and seasoned statesman, a major player with abilities far in excess of those normally seen in Northern Ireland. In the years that followed it was often embarrassing to watch the mismatch between his consummate skills and some of Belfast's political pygmies. "Things have not improved in this regard, for it was evident that some crass political misjudgments helped make Thursday's events more harmful than they need have been. The shallowness of the pool of political talent became painfully obvious when two members of the Ulster Unionist executive could not explain the distinction between prior and simultaneous decommissioning. "Having sat for hours listening to such stuff, Mitchell is aware of how wearisome Northern Ireland politics can be. And he will be under no illusion about how difficult the decommissioning nut will be to crack, for he literally wrote the book, or rather the report on it, back in l996. "He will also know that in coming back he will face not only the politically uninformed but the politically unreasonable". The language is perhaps unacceptably harsh but one gets a sense of the frustration felt at the obduracy of some of the politicians in Northern Ireland who cling to old beliefs and old hatreds and are unwilling to take imaginative or statesmanlike steps. There is no Nelson Mandela in sight. The Constitutional Reform Commission has filed its report on time. A first reading of the report makes it clear that the process was rushed and in the interest of the extremely tight deadline some difficult issues were discussed far less thoroughly than they could have been. One may therefore have reservations about some of the recommendations. But an important fact is that once the Commission was set up those involved made a real effort to achieve something. In the process, an exchange of views took place, there was dialogue and discussion, and a spirit of understanding and compromise was developed that has been quite absent from the other dialogue process. The report of the commission will now be considered by the parties in the Select Committee on Constitutional Reform and will form the basis for drafting a revised constitution to be laid before the National Assembly. Clearly, a process of dialogue will be required in this committee to deal with the many recommendations that have been made and to finally accept or modify same and give the necessary instructions for drafting. Hopefully, the process of dialogue started in the commission can be continued in the committee though it will now be without the important mediating influence of those members of civil society who played a major role in the work of the commission. The efforts of the commission have shown that dialogue and compromise are possible. That is a significant achievement. It must be hoped that the impetus will not be lost in the stage that will now commence.
|