British Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed a historic power-sharing accord that was struck by Northern Ireland's rival two main parties yesterday as "a very important day" for the province.
"This is a very important day for the people of Northern Ireland but also for the people and the history of these islands," he said of the deal between Democratic Unionist (DUP) leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein head Gerry Adams.
"Everything we have done over the last 10 years has been a preparation for this moment," said Blair, who has been battling to strike an accord over Northern Ireland before leaving office by September.
He was speaking after Paisley and Adams agreed to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland -- suspended since 2002 -- on May 8, after their first face-to-face talks.
Blair said that the "people of Northern Ireland have spoken" through elections held on March 7.
"They have said we want peace and power-sharing and the political leadership has then come in behind that and said we will deliver what people want," he said at Downing Street.
The conservative Protestant DUP, which favors keeping Northern Ireland as part of the UK, topped the March 7 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Socialist Catholics Sinn Fein, the political wing of former paramilitaries the Irish Republican Army, who want the province integrated into the Republic of Ireland, came second.
The Northern Ireland Assembly was created by the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement that largely brought an end to three decades of sectarian violence in the province.
It has been suspended since October 2002 when allegations surfaced of a republican spy-ring operating at the assembly buildings, and Northern Ireland has been governed directly from London ever since.
Paisley was upbeat in comments after the agreement was reached.
"After a long and difficult time in our province, I believe that enormous opportunites lie ahead for our province. Devolution has never been an end in itself but is about making a positive difference to people's lives," he said.
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