Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I met with Dr. Richard Haass on 31 October in Iveagh House. We had met previously in New York on 25 September and agreed to keep in close touch. I believe that close and ongoing contact with Dr. Haass and his team is preferable to a formal submission at this stage in the process. While Dr. Haass’s primary reporting lines are to the Northern Ireland Executive, the British and Irish Governments take seriously our supporting responsibilities in the context of the process. During our meetings, we discussed each of the issues that he has been asked to address by the Northern Ireland Executive. including parades, flags and emblems and the past. Dr. Haass has committed to concluding his work by December and, to that end, he has embarked on an ambitious programme of work. He returns to Northern Ireland this week and again in early December, when I understand he also intends to visit Dublin and London.

I am very supportive of the process of consultation with wider society undertaken by Dr. Haass and his team. I believe this is an essential component of a successful process. I have been struck on my visits to Northern Ireland and in my engagement with stakeholders by the widespread support across society for progress on these issues. On 30 October I partnered with a number of peace-building and peace research actors to host a reconciliation networking forum in Dublin Castle which brought together many diverse groups working in the community, business, faith and other sectors. There was an overwhelming consensus, especially from younger speakers, that there is an opportunity to make progress on these issues. I welcomed Dr. Haass’s decision to meet members of the 15 Years On group, who formed the steering committee for the reconciliation networking forum, while he was in Dublin on 31 October.

The Government believes that the process presents an opportunity to reaffirm the commitments made throughout the hard-won peace process and to make further progress towards advancing reconciliation and the creation of a truly reconciled and prosperous society in Northern Ireland. During our meetings to date, I have assured Dr. Haass that he and his team have the full support of the Government in the pursuit of their work and that we are ready to assist them in any way we can. Dr. Haass and I have agreed to remain in close contact and to meet again in the coming weeks.

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