Blair's former right hand man helps mark tenth anniversary of Belfast deal.

THE former chief of staff to Tony Blair was in Liverpool last night to take part in a discussion marking the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Belfast Agreement.

Jonathan Powell was one of a panel of experts who talked about the lessons of the settlement, particularly for resolving conflicts in other troublespots round the world such as the Middle East.

The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, by the British and Irish governments and was a turning point in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Mr Powell played a key role as the principal negotiator on Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007.

He said the main lessons to be learnt were keeping a political process towards eventual peace going, and of talking to your enemy.

He added: "I had to overcome a lot of obstacles personally, not least because my brother, Charles, who was Mrs Thatcher's foreign policy adviser for eight years, was on an IRA death list.

"But you have got to be able to talk to your enemy, and the same lesson applies today, whether it's Hamas for Israel or even Al-Qaida for the West. That doesn't mean you give in to them or their demands."

The discussion was organised by Liverpool University's Institute of Irish Studies and the British Academy.

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Overcame obstacles: Tony Blair's chief of staff, Jonathan Powell Picture: MARTIN BIRCHALL/ mb051108Jpowell-1