Joint Statement by Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach, and Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, 2 May 2004

Joint Statement by Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach, and Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, 2 May 2004

It is vital to maintain the momentum of the Northern Ireland political process.

We are determined to create the conditions for the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland on a stable and durable basis.

It is our firm, shared believe that this can be achieved. To this end, we hope that there will be intensive political dialogue following the forthcoming elections. In the meantime, we will continue our contacts with the parties, and we will explore all opportunities for making progress.

We have no doubt that, with sufficient will, leadership and courage from all concerned, not just paramilitary activity but the whole culture of and associated criminality can be brought to an end; trust and confidence can be restored; and an accommodation between unionists and nationalists can be sustained. The issues that must be addressed are clear. It is long past time to deal with them once and for all.

We recognise our responsibilities as governments and we will continue to discharge these responsibilities fully and energetically, including implementation of those parts of the Agreement which are not conditional upon full acts of completion. Reports from the International Monitoring Commission (IMC) and the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) will continue to play a key part in assessing the progress being made, and on what remains to be done, across the range of their respective remits.