The North Ireland Peace Process Today

Today we will inquire into the Northern Ireland peace process, particularly the aspect of it which is called "dealing with the past." Sadly, much of what we will hear about amounts to failures to deal with the past, as in the rejection of the recent proposal by Dr. Richard Haass. Dr. Haass serves as chair of the Panel of Parties in the Northern Ireland Executive. In that capacity, Dr. Haass spent months consulting and formulating a proposal. Dr. Haass's proposed Historical Investigations Unit proposes establishing a single unit with full investigative power to eliminate the overlaps, the contradictions, and waste of resources and the mandates of the two other entities, the Historical Inquiries Team and the Police Ombudsman of Northern Island, two key bodies established by the Good Friday Agreement to investigate unsolved murders. In the end, the proposal was not accepted by all of the parties, though it clarified where progress can be made and where sticking points remain, and it is a blueprint for the future. We will also hear today about the Finucane case and the British Military Reaction Force. These aspects of dealing with the past were not covered by Dr. Haass's proposal to the Northern Ireland political parties because they deal with matters that are the responsibility of the British Government.