Transcript of Press Conference with Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, (29 June 2006)

Transcript of Press Conference with Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister and Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), following the Publication of a Joint Statement and Work Plan to Restore Devolution in Northern Ireland, Belfast, (29 June 2006)

Prime Minister: (Tony Blair)

"I would like to thank the Taoiseach for his perseverance, his commitment and his dedication to the task that we have set ourselves. We have a deadline, it is not arbitrary, it is set in legislation, which is the 24th of November and essentially we have got to do our very best to make sure that we manage at that time to get the institutions back up and running. I do really believe that this is the chance to make devolution work. There is no pressure again of an arbitrary sort that we can put on any party to this process in order to come to an agreement. In the end the parties have got to will this as a voluntary act, representing their communities. But the one thing I am under no doubt about at all is that if we pass up the prospect of getting back proper democratic institutions here in Northern Ireland then we pass up the chance for politics to work in the most profound way in which it's capable. And we pass up the opportunity for people here in Northern Ireland to make the decisions that affect their own future, and that's why we have throughout the process, stretching back over many, many years now, trying to do our level best where there are disagreements to find agreement, where there are differences, to try and bridge those differences and we will work ourselves very hard to try and achieve this.

There is an IMC report, as you know, in early October, at some point I think this will need an intensive engagement by the two Governments. We stand ready to do this whenever it is most optimum, in order to get a satisfactory result, and in the meantime there is a set of proposals that we have put out, a work plan if you will, that shows how the preparatory work may be taken forward. Now I know it's been a frustrating process so far in relation to this preparatory work, but nonetheless it is important if we're to have the best opportunity of making progress that that preparatory work is conducted in a co-operative spirit and I hope that it will be.

But you know, the next few months are absolutely critical, I mean we've been at critical points all the way through this process, there have been many ups and downs, it's true and I understand why people in Northern Ireland must get deeply frustrated with it. But as ever it is important to recognise that the purpose of all of this, including going through endless parts that have been very frustrating indeed, is so that we reach a situation where communities can live in harmony with each other. I think if we needed any reminder of the importance of that, it was when we met the children from Ballymena earlier today from different parts of the community where I thought a model of working together in harmony and actually a rather good symbol of what the future of Northern Ireland could be.

Taoiseach: (Bertie Ahern)

Obviously we had a good exchange with the parties today, we're committed to getting devolution, getting the institutions working fully before November, earlier if possible, and obviously there are issues to resolve, hurdles to surmount as always. I believe it can be done if everyone works collectively together and particularly if the parties work closely together and try to deal with these issues between themselves because there are not differences between me and the Prime Minister where we can work and help with them, we're ready to do that and are prepared to commit a lot of time over the next four months or so, to try to achieve that. I honestly believe that in the end of the day like any normal society people would want to be working closely with their own locally elected representatives and I've seen that they're dealing with the issues that are important to them across society, issues of education and health, and infrastructure and all of the other issues and I just would dearly love, as I have since 1997, to see the institutions up and running as soon as possible.

That's why we've made many attempts, I think we've always made progress as well, but we're in a period now where we have to complete this, there's a legislative commitment to do it, and really if we don't do that then we're off on a totally different track which none of us want to be. So I think we have the last few months to resolve not that many issues and it really requires all our commitment, the commitment of parties which I know they will try their utmost and our commitment to do that and I just look forward over the next few months to achieving that and would hope that everyone will give their all to try to finally get the institutions successfully operating as set out in the original Agreement and taking account of the review that we carried out some years ago.

Question:

Taoiseach, you talked about this being maybe the last chance for a generation. Prime Minister do you think the same way? Taoiseach, was there anything today from what you heard, particularly from the DUP, that perhaps gives you more hope that things can be sorted out by November 24th?

Taoiseach: (Bertie Ahern)

Well as I said to you yesterday, I'm an optimist by nature, I always believe that there is hope, so I'm always looking for positive things to be said. The reality is if we don't do this by the 24th November then we deprive the people of Northern Ireland of the institutions that we have designed and that I think will be hugely beneficial for them. I just want to see that resolved as I'm sure they do, and I'm sure all the parties will want to see that resolved. Otherwise we lose a huge opportunity and obviously as I said many, many times, including to you yesterday, I don't want to see that opportunity lost. We've given over eight years since the final negotiations of that Agreement and the effort we put into the review subsequently, to try to see that happen, so we really want to see it happen and if not then we're off on a different track, but I didn't hear anyone today saying they wanted to be off on a different track, so therefore everyone should be committed to completing it in the timescale that's been legislatively set down.

Prime Minister: (Tony Blair)

Yes, I totally agree with the Taoiseach, I think this is the last chance for this generation really to make the process work. We've come a very long way but we need to get the rest of the way now, and the basic deal is as it's always been, which is an agreement on the basis of a commitment by everybody to exclusive, peaceful and democratic means, that power should be devolved to Northern Ireland's own institutions which should represent all parts of the community. It's as simple as that. That's the deal that's been there really from eight years ago and the rest of it has just been constant debates about processes to how we get there. The reason why the 24th November date was chosen was because after a certain time, for very obvious reasons, people in Northern Ireland get frustrated if they can't see that politics is working and it's our job to try and make sure that it can work.

Question:

Taoiseach, at the end of this time plan, if you like, the Plan 'B' bit of the plan features a conference in December to launch new British/Irish partnership arrangements. Are you concerned that Unionists might see that as the Anglo Irish Agreement Mark 2 and dig their heels in? And Prime Minister, you met some children at the start of this day, what do you say to those who would say that by throwing academic selection into the melting pot and linking it to this devolution deadline you've made children here political pawns?

Prime Minister: (Tony Blair)

I think I would say on that latter point that in the end you either have rule from the Northern Ireland Office or you have it through the devolved institutions. You have the policy that has been articulated. It is not for any reasons to use anyone as a political pawn, it's the policy that the Northern Ireland Office thinks is right for Northern Ireland. But plainly, you know, if you have devolved institutions there's a different decision making process. I think people, or at least I hope people do understand that. Look this is not a question of threatening anybody; it is just a statement of fact. The fact is if we can't find a way, through agreement between the parties, for devolved institutions to work we are forced, not because we want to, we don't, to go for a Plan 'B'. But there is absolutely nobody that we spoke to today, nobody, I mean there weren't many points of total agreement, but there was total agreement that this would not be the best way forward. The best way forward is that the parties here take the responsibility for decision making upon themselves for the community here in Northern Ireland. And that's what we want to see.

Taoiseach: (Bertie Ahern)

I think the issue is quite simple as you'll see on that last page, as you refer to: November 27th. "Ministers go to their Departments and the Executive meet", that's all I want to see. That means then, I don't have to do anything else but start celebrating Christmas early. So it's only if the parties don't achieve that with our help that it requires that we've anything else to do. But if it's failed, then we have an obligation as the two leaders who have worked on the Agreement since the start, to take it to another level. But that sure isn't our preference.

Question:

Taoiseach, first of all the question of policing seems to be a major issue for the DUP, in the sense that they expect anyone going into Cabinet with them, or Executive with them, to fully support law and order and policing. And secondly the DUP see alleged criminality, at local level within the nationalist community, as a major issue for them. First of all I want to ask, can policing be resolved from a republican perspective, do you believe collectively? And secondly, the question of criminality, will you spell out what you see as the status of alleged criminality or de facto criminality at the hands of the IRA in the Republic of Ireland at this point in time?

Taoiseach: (Bertie Ahern)

Policing is a major issue and we've always said it's a major issue in the process, because all the way from the Patten reforms and what the Oversight Commissioner said, on the implementation of those we want to see policing resolved. Now parties have different views, but they've set out their views and in the negotiations we have to try and come to an agreement on that. But policing is a big major issue. In any society proper policing structures and acceptance of those policing structures are very important and that's why we've had Patten. On criminality I'm glad to report there is no link whatsoever that we have traced in a long, long, long way back of IRA involvement in criminality of any kind in the Republic of Ireland.

Question:

Prime Minister: (Tony Blair)

I think there are two things that I would say. The first is that in respect of whether parties are complying with the Agreement, the Independent Monitoring Commission report is the key. That is the determinant, that is the objective body that says whether the obligations that people have entered into are being complied with or not. And in respect of policing, the most important thing is that if we are going to create a society in which the rule of law is paramount, and where we pursue arguments through democracy. It's important of course that anybody who is guilty of criminal offences is prosecuted in a fair way, under the law, and there should be no distinction between any people or any groups in respect of that. And that is the way to resolve it in my view.

Question:

Taoiseach, Prime Minister, two questions. For the Prime Minister, before there would be an Assembly up and running would you expect Sinn Fein to say that it's supporters should give their backing to the police service? And Taoiseach we saw the very fine documentary on television last night about the hunger strikes, and I suppose it put in context how far this society has moved. The violence, in many respects, has stopped. How important or otherwise is it that there should be a Parliament in place here at all, if it's going to be as dysfunctional as at present?

Prime Minister: (Tony Blair)

On the first point, I obviously want everyone to make sure that they support the police in the work that they do. If there is somebody who is guilty of a criminal offence the community needs to support the police in bringing those people to book. That is the way a democratic society works and that of course is important. And incidentally on the point about the Preparing for Government Committee we had some quite graphic accounts of its work so far. But I think that in the end the fact is the more that people are at least sitting round a table and talking the better. The only way you're ever going to get this thing back up and running again is if people accept the reality that they are going to be working alongside each other in government. And, you know, at some point there has to be a sufficient ability within the process for people to understand that this is, in part, about reports and rules and processes, but it's also, in part, about an attitude of mind that respects the other person and is willing to work with them. No government will work unless that is the case.

Taoiseach: (Bertie Ahern)

I think there are two issues. The Good Friday Agreement and all the negotiations around that and the multi-party talks process was born out of the fact that Northern Ireland was a divided society and we had to find a resolution and an agreement of how we could take that forward in a new way, and that's what the Agreement has been about. And all the parties put in a huge commitment and effort into that and the people supported it, and I think in any society people would want to have a say and would want their locally democratic political leaders to be representing their views in dealing with the issues, and that's what devolution is about and that's what the people of Northern Ireland want them to do. So, I think it would be, in my view, a huge failure if we did not achieve that, and that's what we want to succeed in giving to the people. Remember it was negotiated freely by all the parties and voted on freely by the people and that was their decision.

Question:

Prime Minister, you said in 2003 that a deal between Sinn Fein and the DUP was pie in the sky. Were you wrong about that? And I would like to ask the Taoiseach what his basic bottom line is in terms of new arrangements North/South, how many cross-border bodies will you be seeking?

Taoiseach: (Bertie Ahern)

The North/South cooperation and North/South bodies are working very well and we want to see, basically not just what has been there and what's been working well even on a temporary arrangement over the past period, we want to see that developed into the future and we're prepared to do that by negotiation. But we want to see, as we've always said, a real dimension of North/South cooperation and I think that is an accepted issue by both nationalist and republican parties and by other parties and we want to develop that into the future in a way that does build trust and confidence in a none threatening way and as we have shown in our cooperation for the last number of years.

Prime Minister: (Tony Blair)

I mean I think back in 2003 it was almost impossible to conceive such an agreement happening, but then a lot has happened. A lot has happened in the last year through the decommissioning process and the July statement last year of the IRA and through the latest IMC report. I mean a lot has changed. The deal is there to be done if people want to do it. The absolute essential of the deal is very clear, it always has been clear in Northern Ireland. People have got to be prepared to commit themselves to working solely through the democratic process, with all the obvious consequences of that on the one hand, and on the other hand people must be committed to a fair and equal basis of governing, because we have different communities in Northern Ireland. We know for all the historical reasons what has divided Northern Ireland. If you really just keep those two concepts in your mind, everything else is the process and the detail and the consequence that flows from those two things.

So for example on the commitment to the democratic process, people want to know that the rule of law, as governed by a proper judicial system, is going to be accepted by everybody. People want to know that a fair and equal basis of governing under a devolved system is done on the basis that it's up to communities to represent their representers and those representers are treated with respect and treated on the basis of equality. The consequences that we have been trying to negotiate just flow from the principles of the original Belfast Agreement. Whatever changes and amendments are made along the way those two basic principles remain the same. In a sense what we can do is to try facilitate people getting the last bit of the way in various parts of these consequences and details so that they can get into government together. But the thing that is most important, ultimately is that I am sure that people want to do this deal in the right set of circumstances. Now they may differ as to what those circumstances are, but I'm sure most sensible people realise that devolved government in Northern Ireland is better than Direct Rule. What is then necessary is for the parties to decide that they are going to exercise every single part of political will that they can summon in order to get it done. And if they want to do that, and we stand ready to facilitate it, then my view is this thing will be done.

On whether I was right then, I think we have the chance of making a different dispensation now. I think that is possible. But in the end it's the people that choose, and it's also for the people in Northern Ireland to be part of this debate as well. One thing that does happen in the course of a frustrating process like this is, and a lot of people said this to us today, that they were worried about the ordinary members of the public in Northern Ireland switching off from the process. That's all very well but in the end we have come this far, and Northern Ireland is a very different place from what it was a decade ago, because of the political process. This is something the public and civic society should be engaged in because the politicians occasionally need some support and some ballast from the wider society in order to get things done when the decisions are difficult, and this is not the moment actually for anyone to switch off from this process, it's a moment for everyone to be very, very switched on to it, and the answer to your question is that whatever was the case a few years ago, it is possible to do it now but it's going to require a lot of work from us and from the parties."