Northern Ireland Peace Process: Speeches at Stormont on day devolution restored

Northern Ireland Peace Process: Speeches at Stormont on day devolution restored; Bertie Ahern (Irish Taoiseach) speech SOT First and Deputy First Ministers, Prime Minister, Mister Speaker, members of the legislative Assembly, friends from the United States and across the world, distinguished guests / At the outset I'd like to join with others, as you did in the Assembly this morning, in expressing from the Irish Government our sympathies on the untimely passing of George Dawson last evening / To his many friends across the island, our thoughts are with his wife and family and his party colleagues and to you First Minister and everybody in the Democratic Unionist Party we send our sympathies - Here in Belfast, ladies and gentlemen, on this day we mark the historic beginning of a new era for Northern Ireland / An era founded on peace and on partnership / An era of new politics and new realities and between British and Irish, between nationalists and unionists / We're now agreed on a vital consensus on our future together and the events that we've had the privilege of witnessing are a powerful statement that peace is not impossible and conflict is not inevitable / We cannot undo our sad and turbulent past and none of us can forget the many victims of the Troubles / But we can in shaping our future in a new and better way / And in doing so we can put the divisions of the past behind us forever / Northern Ireland is now a place of peace and promise - I warmly congratulate the First and Deputy First Ministers and our colleagues in the Executive as they take on the duties and responsibilities of office / We look forward to working with the new Executive and for our part we promise that we will do so in a true spirit of partnership and friendship / Working together we can make life better for everybody / Challenges yes, but challenges in a climate of real hope / And today relationships on this island and between Ireland and Britain stand transformed / There are m...