Belfast Hosts Final Push For Lasting Peace

A former US peace envoy to Northern Ireland will return to Belfast next week to deal with the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement. Dr Richard Haass, who was a senior diplomat at the State Department, has three thorny issues on his agenda: flags, parades and dealing with the past. Previous attempts to address lingering tensions between the two communities have failed, resulting in the worst year of rioting on the streets for a decade. Dr Haass said: "The news of the violence over the last six to nine months comes as a surprise to be honest, an unwelcome surprise."