SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MLA has appealed to parties to renew their commitment to the spirit of partnership and reconciliation on the 19th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
He made his appeal as the talks at Stormont failed again to reach agreement and discussions have been put in cold storage until after the Easter break.
The Foyle MLA said: “This week marks the 19th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
“We shouldn’t just remember that, we should renew our commitment to everything it stands for – reconciliation, partnership and the primacy of the will of the people of Ireland, North and South.
“The accommodation between two communities and two identities that was reached 19 years ago this week is a monument to the power of compromise as a tool of progress. And yet today, we’re still struggling to realise its full ambition.
“We have been frustrated over the past few days that despite the intensity of engagement, the pace of progress has been slow. Some people appear to be going through the motions.
“We cannot build a future together unless we accommodate each other’s identities and differences.
“That’s what’s needed in the last few days of the Talks. The challenge we face is significant but it is not insurmountable.”
