Secret deal for roadmap to peace bears stamp of Ulster

I now it's only a slither of hope, but these days we should be grateful for even that. Representatives from Sunni and Shia groups in Iraq have met in Finland with politicians from Northern Ireland - including the unionist Jeffrey Donaldson and the Sinn Féin leader Martin McGuinness - with the hope of working out some kind of peace deal or road map along the lines of the road map which eventually brought an end to the violence in Northern Ireland.

"Participants committed themselves to work towards a robust framework for a lasting settlement," a statement issued by CMI said. It added that the participants "agreed to consult further" on a list of 12 recommendations to begin reconciliation talks including resolving political disputes through non-violence and democracy. The recommendations included disarming feuding factions and forming an independent commission to supervise this "in a verifiable manner". Mr Donaldson said: "Agreement has been reached on the way forward between the parties, and they are now going back to Iraq with these proposals."

This is a more positive step forward than any military "surge" and, whether this particular attempt at establishing peace is successful or not, it is along these kind of lines that peace will eventually be restored to Iraq. It will not be restored down the barrel of a gun, US or otherwise.

Under a banner seeking to "end international and regional interference" in Iraq, a clear reference to bringing the occupation to an end and stopping Iraq's neighbours from taking advantage of her plight, the attendance list was impressive:

Among the groups reportedly at the talks were representatives of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr; the leader of the largest Sunni Arab political group, Adnan al-Dulaimi; and Humam Hammoudi, the Shia chairman of the Iraqi parliament's foreign affairs committee.

But it was not clear last night what influence these representatives have or whether they were committed to bringing their organisations on side.

There are some tentative signs of political reconciliation within Iraq, even though the government seems unable to make any big decisions due to sectarian disputes.

Government sources said they welcomed any effort to bring the factions together, but said they had not been officially involved in the discussions.

Even Mandela had a representative there:

South Africa was represented by members of Nelson Mandela's first unity government following the end of apartheid: African National Congress activist Mac Maharaj and National Party reformer Roelf Meyer.

The main aims are to solve disputes through negotiation and to move away from ethnic and sectarian disputes. To stop the displacement within Iraq which is bordering on ethnic cleansing and to come up with a "realistic timetable" for the withdrawal of foreign forces.

Mr Ahtisaari and his group have facilitated peace talks for other conflicts. In 2005 he helped end 30 years of fighting between Aceh rebels and the Indonesian government with peace talks in Finland, which he initiated and mediated with CMI.

As I say, these are very early days and it is far too soon to get too excited about such a fledgling development, but this is one of the very few positives to come out of Iraq in some time. The reality in Iraq is that the invasion and subsequent elections left the Sunnis - long used to power - completely dispossessed. That was always likely to produce insecurity and violence.

And, as the Shias had suffered under Sunni domination for so long, it is perfectly understandable that they are unwilling to give up the advantageous position they now find themselves in.

This is an almost perfect recipe for the kind mistrust and social breakdown that we have witnessed in that nation.

Getting them to talk and actually listen to what the other side are saying will be a long, laborious process; but it is the only realistic way of achieving anything like peace in Iraq.

They have merely started to tentatively make their way down that long road. But that road is the one that we should all be encouraging them to go down.

The 12-point plan

1 Resolve political issues through non-violence and democracy.

2 Prohibit use of arms while in talks.

3 Form independent commission to disarm groups in verifiable manner.

4 Accept results of negotiations.

5 End international interference.

6 Commit to protect human rights.

7 Assure independence and effectiveness of the law and courts, especially constitutional court.

8 Full participation of all parties in political process and governance.

9 Take all steps to end violence, killings, forced displacement and damage to infrastructure.

10 Establish independent body to explore how to deal with the past in way which will unite nation.

11 Support efforts to make political process successful and to protect Iraq's unity and sovereignty.

12 Participating groups commit to principles as complete set of rules.

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Tags: Iraq, Iraq war, reconciliation talks, Ireland, Finland, IRA, Shia, Sunnis