"I have waited a long time for this day and I never doubted it would come," the former senior SDLP member, Mr Austin Currie (FG, Dublin West) told the Dail.

Mr Currie, a minister in the short-lived 1974 power sharing Sunningdale executive in the North, said however "I did not think it was going to take 25 1/2 years, but I rejoice that it has happened".

Paying tribute to the Taoiseach and the Government for their commitment and skill, he said "above all else on this occasion, we should remember the victims - the dead of the past 30 years, the maimed, the grieving relatives and the disappeared and their relatives who still do not have a focus for their grieving".

The truth was "the past 30 years represent one of the clearest examples in history of the futility of violence in achieving political objectives."

He believed from a nationalist point of view the Sunningdale agreement was a better deal. However, the difference between Sunningdale and the Belfast Agreement "does not justify the loss of a single life, never mind the 2,000 people and more who perished between 1974 and 1999. As efforts are made to rewrite history, the futility of violence should remain central".

He believed the DUP would come to terms with the new arrangements.

"The DUP and Dr Paisley have been against the Protestant and unionist establishment in the North and have felt treated as second-class Protestants. They too now come in from the political cold."

There was now a "tremendous responsibility" and challenge facing the Dail and the Government. In particular "we face the challenge of North-South co-operation", an area where there was much to be mutually gained economically.

"However, it is not all gain - there will also be pain," he said. Mr Currie said the "tradition of empire building runs deep". So there would be occasions when a gain for the North, "such as in attracting a new, much sought-after industry, will not automatically be seen as an achievement for the whole island, and vice-versa. Firm and determined leadership will be required."

In order to maximise North/South co-operation, "the Taoiseach should appoint a Minister with responsibility for co-ordinating efforts in this area".

He said acceptable policing was a crucial element in a lasting settlement and even if the Patten report was implemented in full there was still a major problem.

Mr Currie believed there had been too much talk of unity in recent days. "The future is not inevitable in terms of Irish unity, certainly as regards the traditional meaning of the word. The difference now is the acceptance that we will proceed by consent, agreement and peaceful means."