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John Hume, the outspoken architect of the Good Friday Agreement which has the people of Northern Ireland savouring the prospects of peace after 30 years of conflict, held out similar hope for Sri Lanka and said that Ireland's experience, both in power-sharing and peace making, will be of value in strengthening the Lankan peace process.

Hume, who was in Colombo early this week on the invitation of INPACT, a peace group, for a series of lectures, also held talks with President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinge, members of parliament and leading businessmen, on the Irish experience and the on-going peace initiative.

In a wide ranging interview with the 'Sunday Observer', the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize laureate stressed on the need to break down barriers of distrust of the past and a create a new society based on agreement and respect for differences, not victory for either. Based on the Good Friday Agreement, which recently saw the IRA 'decommissioning its weapons beyond use' Hume also outlined various peace initiatives that would secure permanent peace for Sri Lanka.

Excerpts of the interview.

Q: There are certain parallels in the Northern Ireland conflict and the Sri Lankan situation. Both countries have suffered immensely and while Northern Ireland has arrived at a workable solution through the Good Friday Agreement, the peace process in Sri Lanka is just getting under way. How do you view the prospects of peace for Sri Lanka and what are the lessons we can learn from the Irish experience?

A: Yes, I do agree there are several parallels. There is a great duty to build a national monument to the people who have lost their lives. The best possible monument would be to create a society so that no person would suffer what their predecessors suffered.

So, I hope our peace process will be of assistance to the peace process in Sri Lanka.

I also believe our experience in Ireland will be of some value in strengthening your peace process. The most valuable lesson would be the first step - to bring a complete end to violence. When you have a divided people, violence deepens the division, and worsens the problem.

Q: Given the distrust that exists and the long drawn nature of the conflict, how does one go about bringing about an end to violence?

A: Through an agreed public statement from both sides making it clear that both the government and the LTTE accept that violence from both sides have no role to play in solving the problem.

Given that there is a divided people - the only route to a solution is an agreement. And that can only be achieved through dialogue. I also believe the leaders, as they did in Ireland, should make clear that once the dialogue is completed and an agreement is reached, the last word is with the people.

Q: Over the years there has been various peace initiatives and they have all failed for one reason or another. What in your view, would ensure that the on-going peace process bears fruition?

A: Putting an end to violence has enormous scope for stabilising the peace process. If a joint declaration against violence is made, you will receive enormous support and sympathy from friends and supporters of Sri Lanka from all over the world.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and there is a lot of sympathy about what's happening. No doubt, if you achieve lasting peace, the whole economic situation will be transformed, especially the tourist industry.

Q: Having been party to an already failed peace bid, the Norwegians are once again playing a leading role as facilitators. Would you like to comment on it?

A: Having the Norwegians as facilitators is a very positive move. No doubt given their experience, they would be astute mediators.

Q: The LTTE is said to be keen on holding peace talks in a third country, preferably India, but possibly the Maldive islands. How important is it to hold discussions in a third country?

A: Once the declaration is made, holding discussions in one's own country would be a positive move, but it is also essential to have the talks in a quiet, isolated location.

Q: You have experience in power-sharing, specifically power-sharing among all-Ireland bodies which is part of the Good Friday Agreement. Sri Lanka, with a President and a Prime Minister from opposing parties, is new to co-habitation. What would you describe as essential for the success of power-sharing?

A: Central to the (Good Friday) Agreement was that all identities were respected. No victory, just mutual respect. It is the central principle to any divided people. Another was representation of all sections working together in government, in areas of common interest - economic development of the community as a whole - by doing that you can breakdown barriers of distrust of the past and build a new society based on agreement and respect for differences, not victory for either.

Q: How far has Ireland come since reaching the Good Friday Agreement? And what would you identify as the single most important factor that made the implementation of the agreement possible?

A: Ireland has made a lot of progress since reaching the agreement. An important aspect was that when the agreement was reached, the last word was with the people, not with the politicians.

We (the SDLP) proposed that there be a referendum in the North and the South, both incidently gave us a resounding 'yes' vote - 72 per cent in the North and 93 per cent in the south.

This strengthened the Agreement - it became the duty of all true democrats to implement the will of the people.

Q: Could you briefly explain the salient features of the agreement?

A: The agreement addressed three issues related to the Northern Ireland problem - Relationships within Northern Ireland; Relationship with the rest of Ireland; and Relationship with Britain. The most difficult issue was the relationship within Ireland.

Q: How far have you progressed with implementing the solutions spelled out in the agreement?

A: Now institutions that represent these three relationships are in place. The most important one was the assembly elected by a system of Proportional Representation of all section of our people.

The assembly thus elects the Northern Ireland government by PR and all sections of community are represented in Government. The most important element of our peace process - what I call the healing process - is now under the way.

Q: How would you described the current mood of the Irish people?

A: Peace on the street has transformed the atmosphere in society. Now there is a positive mood among all sections. An important aspect of that mood is that people are now engaged in real politic - that of developing the living standards of all sections.

Q: You were the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 and subsequently the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award. Would you like to comment on the two awards?

A: When I received the Nobel Peace Prize, I was honoured. I saw it not just as an award, but as a clear statement from one of the most respected institutes, as well as support of our peace process.

I also saw it as an award for the people of Northern Ireland. I was very honoured to receive the Mahatma Gandhi Award. As a young man, Gandhi and Martin Luther King were great heroes to me. Their philosophy influenced the development of my philosophy of total non-violence and I quoted Gandhi's old doctrine of an eye for an eye leaving everybody blind in my Nobel Prize speech.

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