Minister Andrews responds to unionist anxieties about Agreement
Department of Foreign Affairs Press Release
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Minister Andrews responds to unionist anxieties about Agreement
At a Press Conference to mark the completion of the referendum campaign on the Good Friday Agreement, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr David Andrews, T.D., has directly addressed anxieties expressed by Unionists about the Agreement.
On the question of consent, Mr Andrews said that "we respect and will abide by the decision of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland. We are bound by our own commitments to the rule of international law to do so and, with the people's agreement, we will write this obligation into our Constitution. The united Ireland we desire cannot be achieved either by force or by stealth. It must be one willingly arrived at. To seek unity by other means would be at odds with our prevailing social, political and economic philosophy."
Mr Andrews asked unionism "to consider how far nationalism and republicanism have come in recent years, even recent weeks. Northern Ireland, for so long regarded by nationalists as a failed entity, will, under the Agreement, become a place of inclusive engagement and partnership politically, economically and socially. The beating heart of this Agreement is that offer of constructive engagement. The Agreement offers a framework for government, fair to all sides and capable of dynamically governing Northern Ireland in a truly democratic way."
"The reception given to the prisoners on temporary release at the recent political rallies should not blind people to the historic nature of the recent events. Sinn Féin's decision to engage constructively in the Northern Assembly and the other arrangements set out in the Agreement, marks a truly historic development.
We must not be distracted by transitionary elements of the Agreement such as the release of prisoners and other measures consequent on an end to violence. The enduring value of the Agreement rests with the structures it proposes for establishing a normal political life for Northern Ireland, and for developing relations between North and South and within these islands", Mr Andrews said.
Winding up his remarks, Mr Andrews said that Northern Ireland faces a fork in the road. "One road beckons to a new and open future based on peace, democracy and empowerment. The other will take people back into the undergrowth of uncertainty, fear and mistrust. It is a stark choice between engagement or uncertainty, between a society that works together or choses to remain politically apart, between hope and no hope. The Agreement deserves a chance. It deserves not just a YES but a resounding YES."
