Senator George Mitchell:

In retrospect, the absence of a specifically detailed process of review is unfortunate but the reason is simply that there were a number of critical issues pressing on the delegates, who were under tremendous pressure. There was a widespread fear of an immediate and severe outbreak of violence that had been accelerating over the prior three or four months. The difficulty of the issues they dealt with resulted in there not being that kind of specifically detailed review. As it turns out, the periodic reviews that have occurred have been initiated by crisis such as the collapse in 1999 and the further difficulties that have occurred down the line including, most recently, the inability of the Executive to function. If I were teaching a class on this at some university, I would probably encourage people in similar situations, to the extent possible, to include a more specific and detailed review in order that for all of the issues involved there would be some process for determining progress or suggesting ways forward. It is not likely it could have been done within the timeframe and pressure of events.

I am the one who proposed the deadline, because I was convinced that the process was about to fail and that the violence would occur. However, having a deadline and a pressure meant that only a certain number of issues could be dealt with and it was extraordinarily difficult as it was. I see that Ms Hanna is a member of the SDLP. The SDLP delegation was one of the foundations of the agreement in the negotiations led by John Hume and Seamus Mallon. The Ulster Unionist Party was the other, of course, led by David Trimble, Reg Empey and others. They carried a heavy load. All eight parties contributed tremendously to the process and, indeed, we needed the approval of all eight but it was very difficult.

Even though I was physically present throughout, it is hard for me today to recreate the pressure, difficulty and complexity of what they were dealing with at the time. They deserve great credit for what they did but the inclusion of a specific process of review, which I am not sure it could have been achieved, would have been very helpful.