The Government and the authorities in Northern Ireland have agreed to take over the maintenance of a controversial war memorial outside the Belgian village of Messines.
After almost three years of neglect, the round tower and garden commemorating soldiers from Ireland who died in the first World War will be leased to the Office of Public Works and Northern Ireland's Construction Service for an initial period of 27 years.
Trustees of the Island of Ireland Peace Park, as the memorial is known, will meet in Messines today to discuss a draft agreement that would make the two agencies responsible for maintenance of the site.
The Government signalled its willingness to take over the project last year and hoped to have started landscaping the park during April this year. But a backlog of business in the Northern Ireland Assembly delayed approval from Stormont.
"We should have been 50 per cent through this by now. But we're hoping to have it ready for the Armistice Day commemoration on November 11th," said Mr David Sayer, of Construction Services.
The memorial was inaugurated by the President, Mrs Mc Aleese, in the presence of Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Belgium's King Albert in November 1998. But it has been criticised due to flawed landscaping and poor maintenance.
The acting chairman of the Journey of Reconciliation Trust, former Army chief of staff, Gen Gerry MacMahon, expressed delight at the decision by the two governments. But he suggested that it could be as late as next summer before the memorial is completed. Some issues remain unresolved, including the role of young volunteers from both parts of the island who hoped to play a role in the memorial's maintenance. The OPW and Construction Services believe the task is best left to professional gardeners.
