In August 1994 the IRA declared a ceasefire, stating that it believed that “that an opportunity to secure a just and lasting settlement has been created”.  Early in 1995, the British Prime Minister John Major and new Irish Taoiseach, John Bruton, published The Framework Documents, designed to guide the peace process.  However, the question of decommissioning arms proved intractable, and progress remained elusive.  To try to break the impasse, the two governments announced a “twin-track process” that would pursue all party negotiations and decommissioning.  US President Bill Clinton visited Northern Ireland in November 1995 to help energise the process.  Former US Senator George Mitchell headed a committee that reported in    January 1996 on the question of decommissioning.  Section V of the Mitchell Report recommended a middle ground whereby decommissioning would occur during the negotiation process.  However, on 9 February, seventeen months into the ceasefire, an IRA bomb exploded at London’s Canary Wharf, killing two people and causing extensive damage. 

All-party talks finally began on 10 June 1996.  However, in the succeeding weeks paramilitary violence increased.  On 15 June an IRA bomb exploded in Manchester injuring 200.

Elections in the United Kingdom and Ireland helped recast the political landscape.  On 1 May 1997 the incumbent Major Conservative Government was defeated by the Tony Blair’s Labour Party, while the Bruton Government was replaced by Bertie Ahern’s Fianna administration.  Encouraged by these developments, on 18 July the SDLP’s John Hume and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams met and released a statement announcing:

“At our meeting last night we reviewed progress in removing the obstacles, erected by the previous British government, to an inclusive and meaningful negotiations process. These obstacles have been used tactically to prevent progress in the talks process at Stormont. We welcome the moves that have been made to remove these obstacles by the new Irish and British governments.”

Negotiations continued through 1997, paving the way for a meeting between Tony Blair and Gerry Adams at Downing Street on 18 January 1998.

Multi-part talks took place during the first part of 1998.  A detailed chronology of the negotiations is available on-line.  To attempt to secure agreement, the independent chair of the talks, George Mitchell, set a deadline of 9 April for the completion of talks.  Negotiations continued through the night and on 10 April the Good Friday Agreement was finally reached.

The agreement was ratified in plebiscites in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic on 22 May 1998 with 71.12% in Northern Ireland and 94.4% in the Republic voting in favour of the Agreement.  This constituted an all-Ireland majority of 85.4% in favour of the Multi-Party Agreement.