Finnish Talks
I spent most of today working on a story about Martin McGuinness, Jeffrey Donaldson, Billy Hutchinson, Lord Alderdice, Sinn Fein adviser and former IRA hunger striker Leo Green and public relations consultant Quintin Oliver talking to Iraqi factions about the lessons of Northern Ireland. The seminar took place in an undisclosed location in a Finnish forest. The discussions began on Friday and ended today.
But are our lessons relevant to a conflict on the scale of Iraq? Brigadier General Tauno Nieminen who worked for the Decommissioning Body thinks some might be
So does the former Secretary of State, Peter Hain
But on the American Prospect magazine site, there's an alternative view
I'm 
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I hope they learnt lots from our experience and will take only half as long as we did to get to the point of agreement. There are undoubted parallels between Iraq and Ireland, most obviously in the sectarian root of the conflict.
The North has shared its experience of conflict resolution with others in the past. I supported Mark Durkan, the Deputy First Minister, during a similar set of talks which took place at Weston Park and involved Isreali and Palestinian political leaders in 2002. It was a fascinating couple of days and there was much tough talking. unfortunately the change that could have come never materialised.
Only time will tell if this weekend’s encounter proves more productive.
I remember watching Question Time from Belfast shortly before laughing gas started seeping into Stormont.
Our local politicians were discussing, among other things, Iraq and the Trident replacement.
At the time I thought they had a nerve discussing matters that were questions for statesmen, not a bunch of parochial councillors who were struggling to stop arguing about something the rest of the world stopped arguing about 200 years ago.
Now we have the kids who didn't get long division until fifth year running about acting like maths PhD students. Incredible.
I assume that IRA commanders would be on old ground with some of Iraq's terrorist commanders. Was it not the IRA who invented certain bomb devices and trained other terrorist groups? It would be interesting to know if there was previous trade with Iraq before now. They should be curious to know how their old allies in insurrection came to be on the same deputation as a former UDR soldier who saw his colleagues murdered by the IRA. I am sure that George Mitchell would be curious to see his invention which was opposed by some unionists being repackaged and sold to the enemies of the eagle. Time will tell if they saw the forest for the trees in Finland.
Mark
BY ALLAH, MARK, I THINK YOU’VE CRACKED IRAQ!
I think you have become the catalyst for identifying how the IRAQ debacle can be rectified. My initial thought was that Peter Hain might be a tad optimistic that the lessons of the Northern Ireland Peace Process were relevant to Iraq. Your Blog has prompted second thoughts and I now firmly believe that Hain is the man to deliver peace in Iraq. Here’s how it would work.
Hain moves to Baghdad and announces a peace conference involving all the opposing Sunni and Shia insurgent groups; of course he would also invite members of the current democratically elected Iraqi Parliament but that’s only for presentational purposes. In the real business of the conference he would concentrate on the insurgent groups who are killing left, right and centre. In order to concentrate minds he would hold the Conference at a non-contentious location outside Iraq; probably at the R & A St Helmand Golf Club, Southern Afghanistan. Using the tactics employed at St Andrews, he would offer each side whatever it wanted in a series of side deals, secret meetings, bribes, kickbacks and backhanders. He would also reassure them that, while violence had to stop eventually, they could engage in small-scale murder, mayhem and the occasional large-scale robbery in the meantime. But here is Hain’s clincher, based on his NI experience: if the Sunni and Shia insurgents were to sign the St Helmand Agreement and to enter the Iraq Parliament he would arrange for planned Water Charges in Iraq to be delayed for one year. After all, the electorate here succumbed to this inducement so there’s no reason to believe that the voters in Iraq aren’t as stupid as us.
Mark, I think this idea has got legs! I’m certain that Hain would take on this challenge because it could be his route into the much-coveted top job at the Foreign Office, as well as a rare opportunity to acquire a natural tan.
Finally, Hain would need to put together a good support team and here are some suggestions:
Caitriona Ruane: her experience in Columbia would be invaluable and she would not breach the Muslim dress code.
Michael McGimspey: His aura of charisma and wonderful sense of humour would soon engage and disarm the Insurgents.
Alex Maskey: Alex was the arcytec [sic] of the process that led the Basque terrorist group, ETA to announce a ceasefire so maybe he can repeat this internationally acclaimed, but short-lived, success.
Kieran McCarthy: The Alliance MLA has been under prolonged fire from Iris Robinson (aka Cruella de Ville) for so long that he would have no fear of Sunni and Shia Militants.
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield: Well he’s in everything else.
Allah be praised!
Susie
Carryduff