Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair sees his role in brokering a peace deal in Northern Ireland as his greatest legacy. The Labor politician made that clear in an interview with the German Press Agency and the European news agencies AFP, ANSA and EFE.
“I think the one undisputed thing is the Good Friday Agreement,” Blair said when asked what he is most proud of in his political career. Blair made a significant contribution to the peace agreement in the former British troubled province, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year (April 10).
The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 ended a decades-long civil war between mostly Catholic supporters of uniting the two parts of Ireland on the one hand and predominantly Protestant supporters of union with Britain, the police and the British army on the other.
Brexit is a challenge for the peace process
A quarter of a century later, adjustments to the agreement must be reviewed and “changed if things change,” Blair said. The growing importance of the non-denominational Alliance Party is an important factor. This shows that there is a group of people who “are not interested in the old debates about Catholics, Protestants, unionists and (Irish) nationalists”.
However, the biggest immediate challenge for the peace process was Brexit, Blair continued. The agreement between Brussels and London in the dispute over the Brexit rules for Northern Ireland, known as the Windsor Agreement, could be “the beginning of the end” of these problems. He indicated that he mediated. He had held talks with both sides in advance and the agreement was similar to a proposal from his institute, said the former prime minister.
