§ Sir John Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what contribution the Anglo-Irish agreement conference is making to the reduction of sectarian discord and violence.
§ Mr. Tom King[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1986]: The Anglo-Irish agreement, which established the Intergovernmental Conference, offers a framework within which people of both Unionist and Nationalist traditions in Northern Ireland can be reconciled and can recognise and accept each others' rights. It also offers important 5W opportunities for co-operative effort with the Irish against terrorism. These aims cannot be achieved quickly; nor will the benefits of the agreement necessarily become clear in the short term. But I believe that no other way offers such a good prospect of achieving them.