AWARDS PUT PROVINCE CENTRE-STAGE
Awards put Province centre-stage
DESPITE its at times funereal ambience, there is no doubting the significance of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in which David Trimble and John Hume took centre stage yesterday.
In Northern Ireland we are to some extent unaware of the remarkable international interest in our search for peace. When he spoke so passionately about the search for reconciliation in Armagh earlier this year, President Bill Clinton was not wrong when he said that the agreement reached between feuding factions here would provide inspiration for other conflict zones around the world.
No-one is under any illusions about the difficulties ahead, and indeed David Trimble, in a speech laced with references to great political and literary figures of the past, avoided the temptation to gloss over present difficulties.
In fact, the theme of his characteristically pragmatic though sometimes obscure address was that the road to peace is a rocky one, and that we have only just set out on the journey.
But the fact that we have come this far, after three decades of terrible human suffering, is an immense achievement in itself and because of this the world is watching in hope and expectation. Both the SDLP and UUP leaders were right yesterday to pay tribute to the silent heroes of the reconciliation process, those who have worked tirelessly for peace in ways that never hit the headlines.
As Mr Trimble said, we have defeated terrorism by defying terrorism. A vast majority of people on both sides of the community have carried on with their normal lives and maintained their dignity through the darkest days of the Troubles, bringing us to the point where it became clear, even to the men and women of violence, that they had no part to play in our shared future.
There are, of course, still spectres at the feast. We saw the awful consequences of their depraved fanaticism in Omagh, just a few short months ago. But the people of that town, as in every other place where terrorists have struck, have bonded together in a remarkable way and committed themselves to a peaceful future.
Yes, David Trimble and John Hume are the recipients of the Nobel Prize, but it is not mere sentiment to say that the award belongs to those who have demonstrated a determination to build a better future for all.
DESPITE its at times funereal ambience, there is no doubting the significance of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in which David Trimble and John Hume took centre stage yesterday.
In Northern Ireland we are to some extent unaware of the remarkable international interest in our search for peace. When he spoke so passionately about the search for reconciliation in Armagh earlier this year, President Bill Clinton was not wrong when he said that the agreement reached between feuding factions here would provide inspiration for other conflict zones around the world.
No-one is under any illusions about the difficulties ahead, and indeed David Trimble, in a speech laced with references to great political and literary figures of the past, avoided the temptation to gloss over present difficulties.
In fact, the theme of his characteristically pragmatic though sometimes obscure address was that the road to peace is a rocky one, and that we have only just set out on the journey.
But the fact that we have come this far, after three decades of terrible human suffering, is an immense achievement in itself and because of this the world is watching in hope and expectation. Both the SDLP and UUP leaders were right yesterday to pay tribute to the silent heroes of the reconciliation process, those who have worked tirelessly for peace in ways that never hit the headlines.
As Mr Trimble said, we have defeated terrorism by defying terrorism. A vast majority of people on both sides of the community have carried on with their normal lives and maintained their dignity through the darkest days of the Troubles, bringing us to the point where it became clear, even to the men and women of violence, that they had no part to play in our shared future.
There are, of course, still spectres at the feast. We saw the awful consequences of their depraved fanaticism in Omagh, just a few short months ago. But the people of that town, as in every other place where terrorists have struck, have bonded together in a remarkable way and committed themselves to a peaceful future.
Yes, David Trimble and John Hume are the recipients of the Nobel Prize, but it is not mere sentiment to say that the award belongs to those who have demonstrated a determination to build a better future for all.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/148
Published Date: 11-Dec-98
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