Alliance interested in detail of Hain proposals on the past

7.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 10th Jun 2007

Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Stephen Farry

Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Stephen Farry, has expressed interest in hearing the full details of what the Secretary of State, Peter Hain, may be proposing on how to deal with the past and its legacy in Northern Ireland. This comes after press reports that he is about to launch an independent review into how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles. Alliance has recently tabled proposals for the British and Irish Governments to appoint a commission to deal with the past and its legacy.

The North Down MLA stated: "We will be interested to see the detail of what the Secretary of State may be proposing. One of the missing ingredients from the peace process has been any comprehensive process for dealing with the past and its legacy. This has been a common aspect to most comparable peace processes internationally.

"There may be a temptation for some to try to sweep the past under the carpet lest it upset the new political dispensation. Alliance does not believe that this is a sustainable strategy, and that addressing the past and its legacy is fundamental to the process of reconciliation and building a shared future.

"To date, efforts to deal with the past and its legacy have been handled on a very piecemeal basis. This has contributed to entrenching divisions.More and more unease has been expressed about a series of costly ad hoc inquiries that only focus on the select few cases.

"Alliance does not wish to be prescriptive, but we have proposed that the British and Irish Governments should appoint an independent commission, composed of domestic and international experts to consult, deliberate and make a series of recommendations which would address how to approach outstanding issues relating to the past and its legacy, and their linkage to the promotion of reconciliation."

ENDS