Peace may have broken out but don't expect an immediate State visit to Ireland by Queen Elizabeth, as some were suggesting during the week. Not Buckingham Palace, nor Downing Street nor the Department of Foreign Affairs had any comment on the speculation. The situation is that a visit is likely within the next couple of years but not until things have settled down, all the new institutions are in place and the unionists - or most of them anyway - have reached some stage of satisfaction with developments. The President, Mrs McAleese said on one of her official trips to Britain that an exchange of State visits between herself and the British head of state was an aim.
But these things are decided by governments after much planning and debate. To date, fear of disruption and subversion in the Republic and anger in the North because of the Republic's claim on it, now gone, prevented a visit. Now, there's a new relationship and State visits are certainly on the agenda.