Ford Welcomes Murphy Commitment to Reform of Agreement

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 29th Sep 2004

Commenting on the Secretary of State's statement released in Brighton yesterday, Alliance Leader David Ford MLA said:

"For the last year, Alliance has held the view that reform is the only realistic pro-Agreement option. It is clear that the fundamental principles of the Agreement stand, but there are flaws with some of the details.

"Those who maintain that the Agreement is perfect and utterly unchangeable are just as wrong as those who used to state that the Agreement is so flawed that it cannot provide a basis for a settlement.

"I welcome today's statement by Paul Murphy. It is clear that the Government now shares the Alliance analysis on the need for reform. It is time for people to be rational.

"Those who opposed the Agreement have to accept that its principles are the only way we can move forward together. Those who support the Agreement have to acknowledge that it failed significantly in November 2001 and it has not worked for the last two years.

"All parties have to work together to find a settlement which is consistent with the principles of the Agreement and which deals with past, present and predictable problems."