Roundup: Despite 20 years of peace, deep divisions remain in Northern Ireland

LONDON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- On the eve of the anniversary of an agreement signed 20 years ago bringing peace to Northern Ireland, a new poll Monday revealed deep divisions between the two communities.

British broadcaster Sky said nearly a quarter of people polled think divisions between Catholics and Protestants are deeper now than they were at the time the deal was made in 1998.

The so-called Good Friday Peace Agreement brought to an end three decades of troubles, killings and bombings in a campaign for the reunification of Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland.

The agreement saw the Irish Republican Army (IRA) laying down its guns in favour of pursuing a political solution to their aspirations.

The anniversary comes against a background of two issues that could threaten what has been two decades of relative peace and calm in Northern Ireland, population 1.8 million, a small majority of which are Protestants. The dynamics are changing and it has been estimated that within a matter of years Catholics will become the majority.

The peace agreement paved the way for a referendum on May 22, 1998 asking people whether they supported the Good Friday Agreement. It won backing from more than 71 percent of the population.

Across the border in the Republic, a simultaneous referendum was backed by more than 94 percent.

The Northern Ireland Assembly, created after the agreement to introduce a devolved government, collapsed more than a year ago. The area is now run by unelected civil servants overseen by the Northern Ireland Secretary, a member of Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet.

To add to the woes, Brexit has thrown a huge spanner into the works. Britain's decision to leave the European Union (EU) in less than one year will create a land border between the Irish Republic, which will remain an EU member, and Britain's Northern Ireland.

Brian Rowan, a former BBC security editor who reported on the major developments in the transition from conflict to peace, told Xinhua that a border created by Brexit, soft or hard, would plunge the south and north of the Ireland island into difficulties.

The removal of any border controls between the two was seen as a vital element of the peace process.

Although both London and Dublin have insisted there should be no hard border on the island of Ireland, the issue remains unresolved.

Meanwhile, the assembly in Belfast and its executive collapsed in a fall out between the two main parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the pro-republican Sinn Fein.

In the latest Sky poll, only 17 percent believe the devolved government will return to its base at Stormont within 12 months.

Sky's head of data, Harry Carr, said: "If a post-Brexit deal that avoids border controls either on the island of Ireland or in the Irish Sea cannot be found, Theresa May will clearly have a problem on her hands."

Spanning 30 years from 1968, the so-called "troubles" led to one of the most deadly domestic conflicts in British modern history. It led to the deaths of more than 3,500 people, more than half (1,800) civilians.

Politicians who for years had been sworn enemies, found themselves holding hands as part of a power sharing arrangement, with the two largest parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein, holding the two main posts of First Minister and Deputy First Minister respectively.

One person who fears a possible return to a troubled period is former U.S. politician George Mitchell.

As the U.S. Special Envoy, he was a key broker of the Good Friday Agreement between all sides involved in the conflict. He chaired the talks that led to the landmark agreement that brought an end to the killings.

In a recent media interview, Mitchell warned that direct rule in Northern Ireland, or a hard border after Brexit, could lead to "serious trouble" and a return to the violence of the 1970s and 1980s.

He warned that failure to restore power-sharing at the Stormont assembly could lead "regressive forces" to reignite their campaign of violence.

Mitchell said the real danger of a hard border was not the immediate resurgence of violence, but the change in attitude.

"When there was a hard border, there was very little commerce, very little travel, very little interaction between the people of Northern Ireland and the people of the Republic," said Mitchell.

"That led to stereotyping, to the demonization of others, to attitudes that were based upon acts from the distant past. The open border has meant people travelling back and forth, a degree of social intercourse, of commerce, of people working together. Stereotypes have not gone completely but they have been dramatically reduced."

Mitchell expressed fears that militants could exploit the tensions to spark further violence if direct rule from Westminster is imposed on Northern Ireland.

"While the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland don't want to return to the violence of The Troubles, there remain very small but dangerous groups who don't feel that there should have been any compromise at all, who are still willing to use violence."

"When violence gets going, it tends to drive people back into their tribal positions, and so I don't think anyone can say with absolute confidence that there will never be a return to violence. We have to keep that in mind at all times," he said. Enditem