Shawn Pogatchnik
Belfast, Northern Ireland - The American who helped deliver Northern Ireland's Good Friday peace agreement began closed-door discussions on Monday in the hopes of saving the troubled 17-month-old accord.
"The political leaders of Northern Ireland must seize this opportunity," former US Senator George Mitchell said at the British government's Castle Buildings, a drab office block where the historic accord was struck on Good Friday 1998 after 22 months of gruelling negotiations.
The British and Irish governments hope Mitchell can secure local agreement on two key unfulfilled sections of the accord: the formation of a joint Protestant-Catholic administration in place of direct rule from London, and the gradual disarmament of the province's outlawed paramilitary groups.
"Neither I nor anyone else has a magic wand that will wave away these problems. But I believe it can be done," Mitchell said.
"Whether it is done is up to the political leaders," he said. "Each of them sought public office and the power that comes with it. With that power comes responsibility. At this time and place, that means having the courage and wisdom to find a way to overcome the obstacles to implementation of the agreement."
The major Protestant party, the Ulster Unionists, has refused to form the envisaged four-party Cabinet until the Irish Republican Army (IRA) accepts its obligation to disarm.
The outlawed IRA, rooted in the most militant Catholic areas, refuses to disarm, and says its July 1997 truce should be sufficient. The IRA-linked Sinn Fein party, which gets 17 percent of the vote in Northern Ireland, insists it must receive two posts in the intended 12-member Cabinet regardless of the IRA's policies.
Mitchell was scheduled to meet separately with delegations from Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists during consultations running through Tuesday.
His diplomatic efforts in Belfast are expected to last several weeks.
The major Catholic-supported party, the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party, said the Ulster Unionists and Sinn Fein were equally to blame for the impasse.
"We all know that there have been breaches of the IRA cease-fire - we don't need a trial," said SDLP negotiator Brid Rodgers. "We all know the Ulster Unionists are in breach of their responsibilities because they refuse to set up the Executive (Cabinet)."
Outside Castle Buildings a few dozen people held up placards reading "WE STILL SAY YES", a demonstration of support of the accord.
But reflecting the widespread pessimism among local politicians, Sinn Fein negotiator Alex Maskey said that if he were Mitchell, "I would have a return ticket organised already." - Sapa-AP