It is 10 years since leaders of Northern Ireland's Protestant and Catholic communities signed up to the Good Friday Peace Agreement, ending decades of violence and laying the foundations for a poltical settlement. David Trimble was the first First Minister of the power-sharing government established by the Agreement. He resigned in 2001 over the disarmament issue and the peace process was stalled for several years before a final accord was reached. The Nobel Peace Prize winner talked to EuroNews about how the agreement was brokered and reflects on possible lessons for other regions of conflict. <...> EN: Lets go back to Ireland, Ireland and Europe, do you think the European Union has done enough, should it be more engaged? DT: The main effect of the European Union is not something the European Union did as an institution. The main effect was its existence and by virtue of the changes that the European Union symbolises the whole idea of nationality in western Europe is quite different to what it was a generation ago. That changed the context within which we were looking at the problem. <...> EN: Republicans and Unionists are still divided on one key issue, the possible reunification with the Republic. Do you envisage that happening one day or is that just of the question. DT: I don't think personally that will ever happen, but I don't think in a few years it's going to matter. Because the other thing that's happened over the course of the past ten years is that there's now a much closer relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, so I don't see this as being a problem for the future at all.
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EN: Lets go back to Ireland, Ireland and Europe, do you think the European Union has done enough, should it be more engaged?
DT: The main effect of the European Union is not something the European Union did as an institution. The main effect was its existence and by virtue of the changes that the European Union symbolises the whole idea of nationality in western Europe is quite different to what it was a generation ago. That changed the context within which we were looking at the problem. <...>
EN: Republicans and Unionists are still divided on one key issue, the possible reunification with the Republic. Do you envisage that happening one day or is that just of the question.
DT: I don't think personally that will ever happen, but I don't think in a few years it's going to matter. Because the other thing that's happened over the course of the past ten years is that there's now a much closer relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, so I don't see this as being a problem for the future at all.
That'll annoy the Atlanticists.
Very, very interesting comment about the idea of nationhood though. The Atlanticists are defined by their rather old-fashioned worship at the altar of the nation state. The Yurpeans - not so much.
When the UK and US have failed as nation states, they may become more interested in taking a long-term view.
