THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT, BELFAST, 1998, WITH 39 SIGNATURES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE PEACE PROCESS

Memorandum from the Office of the Independent Chairmen, sending the Final Agreement and calling for a final plenary session, 1 page, 10 April 1998, with 39 signatures of those involved in the Northern Ireland Peace Process, including the independent chairmen Senator George Mitchell, General John de Chastelain, and Prime Minister Harri Halkeri, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Northern Ireland Secretary Marjorie (“Mo”) Mowlam, Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein, and others, signed Stormont, 10 April 1998; [with:] Agreement Reached in the Multi-Party Negotiations, photocopy of the final draft with scattered markings, 69 (numbered ii + 67) pages, 10 April 1998 “...The tragedies of the past have left a deep and profoundly regrettable legacy of suffering. We must never forget those who have died or been injured, and their families. But we can best honour them through a fresh start, in which we firmly dedicate ourselves to the achievement of reconciliation, tolerance, and mutual trust, and to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all...”

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

THE CULMINATION OF THE PEACE PROCESS THAT ENDED THIRTY YEARS OF “TROUBLES” IN NORTHERN IRELAND. The Belfast Agreement was signed at Stormont on 10 April 1998, Good Friday. The agreement was the dramatic culmination of the Multi-Party negotiations which were set to conclude at midnight on 9 April 1998. The final hurdle to agreement – Unionist concern over paramilitary disarmament – was finally overcome by a personal intervention by Tony Blair a few hours after that deadline. The current lot was one of the copies circulated to participants in the negotiations in the early hours of 10 April, Good Friday, before a plenary session was hurriedly arranged that allowed the agreement to be announced at 5.30 that afternoon. The momentous importance of what had been achieved was evident to all involved in the negotiations, and several participants got their copies signed by those gathered at Stormont for the ceremony. This copy belonged to a young man who came to the Peace Process through community work and was an invited guest of the Progressive Unionist Party.