BELFAST — Protestant and Roman Catholic ministers took the helm together on Tuesday in a fresh bid to steer Northern Ireland to stability after London gave home-rule powers to a new partnership government.
Members of a 12-minister cabinet, spanning the province's divided British and Irish loyalties, were at their desks early to usher in a delicate new drive to build trust following London's midnight transfer of a large measure of local autonomy.
It was their first time back in their offices since a similar venture foundered in February in a welter of recrimination over the Irish Republican Army's refusal to disarm after halting hostilities against British rule.
First Minister David Trimble, leader of the biggest Protestant pro-British party, said all sides must live up to their obligations to ensure success for the fledgling coalition.
"I hope this time we will see it happen," Trimble told BBC radio.
Seamus Mallon, the province's Deputy First Minister who is a senior Catholic moderate, hailed it as a new start after strife.
"The most urgent thing is . . . to instill confidence within people in Northern Ireland.
"To instill confidence in the political process itself, that in effect we are at a new beginning, that we have that vision for what that new dispensation can be . . . And if we do that we can all lift our eyes out of the bitterness that we have seen."
Sinn Fein, the political ally of the IRA guerrilla group, vowed its two ministers would honor their commitments under the Good Friday peace accord that set up the shared government.
"It's obviously a challenge for all of us," said Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, the education minister.
"There is a huge responsibility on everybody and I am acutely aware of my responsibilities to ensure that we give sane and sensible leadership . . . " McGuinness, a one-time IRA guerrilla leader, told reporters ahead of the power transfer.
But the Democratic Unionist Party, one of four parties comprising the uneasy coalition, kept everyone guessing whether it would take up its two cabinet seats or withdraw to intensify its opposition to Sinn Fein's participation.
The DUP, which is led by veteran Protestant firebrand cleric Ian Paisley, was to announce its strategy later.
"People want us to continue our opposition to Sinn Fein. That's what we'll do. We believe resolutely that the Belfast Agreement will destroy the union (with Britain)," Paisley's deputy Peter Robinson said late Monday.
"Whatever we do, it will be with that end in mind—to bring down the Belfast Agreement and the republican agenda."
Shaky ground
Britain's transfer of power was a key step in a chain of initiatives to revive the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and offered second chance to transform its promise of peace into reality.
All sides have been bruised by acrimony since London stepped in on February 12 and shelved power-sharing after just 72 days.
It is a shaky coalition that could face a fresh row within days. Friday marks the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation, when the British flag is usually flown from government buildings, and republicans are sure to object.
Achieving normality will not be easy. Disarmament, dissident violence, police reforms, flag-flying and other issues stand in the way. The IRA, which has always spurned disarmament, shifted ground three weeks ago to end a deadlock on the issue.
It offered to stash weapons from its anti-British war in dumps and let foreign monitors verify they were not being used.
Trimble put his leadership on the line by championing power-sharing despite the grave misgivings of many in his party. He says the guerrillas must now deliver on their promises.