The Forum for Political Dialogue met between 1996 and 1998 in Belfast as part of the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement.
The Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiation, etc) Act 1996 provided for a Forum constituted by delegates elected in elections under the same Act to consider and examine issues relevant to promoting dialogue and understanding within Northern Ireland. The Forum met at the Interpoint Centre, York Street, Belfast from 14 June 1996 to 24 April 1998.
To see the full record of a committee, click on the corresponding committee on the map below.
Business, Terrorist Crime: Legislation, Housing, Special Debate
The Forum recognizes that the Government have recently — October 1996 — received the Lloyd Report 'An Inquiry into Legislation against Terrorism', which considered the legislative framework under which the justice system operates in the United States of America and various European countries. This Forum now calls on the Government to carry out a complementary inquiry into international examples of political policies necessary to deal with violence and political change in divided societies. In particular, we call upon the Government to study the examples of Guatemala, South Africa, Israel/Palestine and Spain and to apply the lessons learned to the United Kingdom's internal political and security policies.