David Trimble Quotes

The last months, weeks and days have seen accelerating discussions, involving the DUP for the first time, about a comprehensive agreement which would see all outstanding matters dealt with and the Good Friday Agreement implemented in full.

We have to make sure the Good Friday Agreement works.

The IRA has abandoned its armed struggle in pursuit of its goals by political means. This must be fully acknowledged. Continued challenge does nothing but obstruct and inhibit the peace process.

What were once only hopes for the future have now come to pass; it is almost exactly 13 years since the overwhelming majority of people in Ireland and Northern Ireland voted in favour of the agreement signed on Good Friday 1998, paving the way for Northern Ireland to become the exciting and inspirational place that it is today.

In coming to that agreement, my party had a clear philosophy throughout. In Northern Ireland, we should have institutions that respected the differences of the people and that gave no victory to either side.

Well I think it has always been a mistake to reduce the peace process in Ireland to a decommissioning process.

I think people see me as someone very much associated with political agreement and, probably more than anything else, being able to build a relationship with loyalist leaders Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson.

It... is the best opportunity we've had in the last 25 years to bring about a settlement in Northern Ireland, and I think we should leave no stone unturned to achieve that.

One big difference between our situation in Myanmar and other situations around the world is that we're not just trying to achieve peace with one group but 11 groups - so it is incredibly complicated as well.

It is neither my intention to depart from the route of John Garang nor to change the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

At that time, the army leadership said the implementation of this agreement would allow everyone, including the IRA, to take its political objectives forward by peaceful and democratic means.

The really big challenge is delivering the social justice agenda in the Belfast Agreement, which hasn't been delivered.

I wish to assure you that there can never be any return to the state of armed conflict which existed before our commitment to peace and the democratic process of election under the Lancaster House agreement.

The British government says that for Sinn Fein to be involved in talks the guns must be left at the door.

The Good Friday Agreement and the basic rights and entitlements of citizens that are enshrined within it must be defended and actively promoted by London and Dublin.

I think we have a political and moral duty to do everything within our power to maintain the Good Friday Agreement.

A peace deal requires agreements, and you don't make agreements with your friends, you make agreements with your enemies.

Quite simply, I maintained contact with Sinn Fein and believed that there had to be a political, not a military, solution to the situation in Northern Ireland.

The British Government and the Irish Government have accepted very clearly the Mitchell Report.

We do not mind establishing a long-term truce between us and you.

It's necessary for Israelis and Palestinians to make the compromises that are required to get the direct talks back on track.

As they say, one thing led to another, and, ultimately, the British and Irish governments asked me to serve as chairman of the peace negotiations, which ironically began six years ago this week.

Funnily enough, Northern Ireland is a great example of where politics can win over conflict. The decision to down arms and follow a political path would have been unthinkable once. It shows just what is possible.

We believe that we should come to an agreement with the Palestinians. But we need two to tango.

It's time for the IRA to go out of business.