North reaction: New Northern Secretary Peter Hain has said that restoring the Assembly and Executive and securing a lasting political settlement would be a priority for the British Labour government in its third term.
Mr Hain, who was in contact by phone with senior Northern party leaders over the weekend, flies into Belfast today. He will be briefed by senior officials at Stormont. It is also expected that later today his junior team of ministers will be announced.
Mr Hain (55), who also retains the post of Welsh Secretary, predicted that British Prime Minister Tony Blair would "crack the problem" and that there would be a "new political dispensation" in Northern Ireland.
"This is a very, very important time," he said. "Obviously the election results have sent their own messages. I intend to take account of those and to make sure that we bring everybody together."
Mr Hain also said on Sky's Sunday with Adam Boulton yesterday that Northern Ireland would remain a key issue for Mr Blair. "The prime minister told me on Friday night when he appointed me it was an absolute priority for him," he said.
When it was put to him that Northern politicians such as Ian Paisley, Mark Durkan and David Trimble did not trust Mr Blair to deliver on Northern Ireland, Mr Hain replied: "People say all sorts of things in the heat of the moment."
He defended Mr Blair's record: "This is the prime minister, Tony Blair, who negotiated the Good Friday agreement. People said that that wasn't achievable. He did it. This is the prime minister, Tony Blair, who has maintained a situation where the people of Northern Ireland have had seven years of unparalleled peace and prosperity and stability. This is the prime minister, Tony Blair, who I believe will actually crack this problem in the coming period and we will get a permanent peace settlement and a new political dispensation which all the parties and all the communities . . . can come together and govern their country in the devolved Assembly that we have legislated for."
Mr Hain said Northern Ireland had experienced seven years of peace and stability and increasing prosperity. "But there has been increasing polarisation in the outcome of the election - a trend by the way that was clear in the Assembly elections and the local elections before last Thursday," he said.
"I want to work very actively with all the leaders and indeed all the different representatives in the coming weeks and months to try and get this peace agreement back on the road to a permanent settlement," added Mr Hain.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said that he wanted a return to talks as quickly as possible. "Sinn Féin went into this election seeking an endorsement of our peace strategy and in particular of our initiative to get the process back on track," he said on Saturday.
"Despite months of disgraceful, dishonest and negative campaigning by the establishment against our party, 174,530 people came out and endorsed this strategy," he added.
Mr Adams said that Sinn Féin was returned as the largest pro-Belfast Agreement party. "The message is clear - people want to see progress and they want to see Sinn Féin leading that change. There is a huge responsibility on us but there is also a huge responsibility on the DUP and on the two governments," he added.
"The opportunity for progress must now be seized. We want to see a return to the talks as quickly as possible to get the Good Friday agreement implemented and the political institutions restored," he said.
