Northern Ireland's main political parties finalized a long-awaited power-sharing agreement Monday in the region, starting on May 8.

In a photo-op that political commentators would have never thought possible, hardline Protestant cleric Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), sat next to Gerry Adams, head of the mainly Catholic Sinn Fein, to announce the ground-breaking deal to work together in governing the province.

"Today we've agreed with Sinn Fein that this date will be Tuesday, May 8, 2007," Paisley said after the meeting at the Stormont assembly building in Belfast.

"We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future for our children," Paisley said.

Britain and Ireland have attempted to get Northern Ireland's feuding parties to share power for years, viewing it as a necessary step in achieving continuing peace in the region of 1.6 million people that has been split apart by years of strife and butchery.

Adams added that the people of Ireland had been marred by centuries of conflict but that "now there is a new start, with the help of God".

The principal difference between the DUP and Sinn Fein parties has been in their ultimate desire for Northern Ireland itself. The Protestant DUP wishes to secure Northern Ireland's links with Britain while Sinn Fein's aims to build a united Ireland.
 
The British government came down heavily on both sides, warning that they would find a way to jointly govern Northern Ireland's affairs Monday or accept indefinite direct rule from London. However, Paisley's DUP said on Saturday it wanted a delay until May, a condition which proved acceptable to London if all the parties agreed.

"This is a very important day for the people of Northern Ireland ... In a sense everything we've done in the last 10 years has been a preparation for this moment," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair. His Irish counterpart Bertie Aherne weighed in, saying the agreement "has the potential to transform the future of this island".

(China Daily via agencies March 27, 2007)