Former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams who was among those who negotiated the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998, marked the anniversary in a comment this morning on his Twitter page @GerryAdamsSF
Mr. Adams criticised the current failure of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to learn the lesson of that time – the need to recognise the rights of others.
Gerry Adams said:
“This is the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
“I remember it well, the weeks leading into that Agreement and then especially the overnight session. Then after we came to a conclusion going off to our respective constituencies . And then weeks later the people North and South on this island voting for that agreement.
“It’s also worth remembering that the unionist parties, and things have changed massively with the unionist parties since then, but that the unionist parties went through all of that process without recognising the rights of the Sinn Féin voters, without talking to the Sinn Féin representatives.
“Here we are all these years, decades later, and the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are doing exactly the same thing. Refusing to recognise the rights of the Sinn Fein electorate.
Refusing to engage with Sinn Féin leadership in the formation for government talks.
“So, so much for the lessons of history.
“Having said that the Agreement has served all of us well. There are aspects of it, important dimensions of it, that both governments have failed to honour, but most especially the British government.
“We want to bring the Agreement to its complete fruition.
“For now it’s worth looking forward as well as looking backwards.
“So thanks to everyone who played any role in putting together the Good Friday Agreement, from this island, from our neighbouring island, from across the world and from the USA in particular.
“And to all of those people who have kept the peace process alive since then.
“Let’s keep on the road we are on.
“Let’s keep building peace and let’s make sure that all of the elements of the Good Friday Agreement are honoured in the time ahead and not undermined as Brexit threatens to do; not subvert it as Brexit threatens to do.
“Go n-éirí an t-ádh libhse.
“Go raibh maith agaibh.
“Happy Easter.”
