Sectarian violence on the streets of Belfast must be addressed by the pro-Agreement parties, Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams said as the North’s politicians gathered for talks today aimed at bolstering the Belfast Agreement.
Before the second meeting of the Belfast Agreement implementation group at Hillsborough Castle, Mr Adams claimed the recent disturbances in interface areas should be the top priority.
Flanked by party colleagues Ms Michelle Gildernew and Mr Gerry Kelly, the West Belfast MP said: ""I don't want to rehearse all of the litany of issues that need to be dealt with but you know that they reflect all aspects of the Agreement right across constitutional, institutional, political, economic, social issues and the issues of policing, demilitarisation and so on.
"But I think that the pressing issue of the pro-Agreement parties and particularly the two governments must be the deteriorating situation particularly in interface areas of Belfast.
Mr Adams said Sinn Fein had expressed consistently its opposition to all sectarian violence - especially attacks on nationalist communities such as the Short Strand in east Belfast.
Sinn Fein joined the Ulster Unionists, SDLP, Alliance Party, the Progressive Unionist Party, and the Women's Coalition at today's meeting which was being chaired by the Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Brian Cowen.
Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble, who has warned that ongoing IRA activity is endangering the Agreement, did not attend.
Instead, Stormont environment minister Mr Dermot Nesbitt and Assembly member Mr Ivan Davis were representing the UUP.
PA