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Article: Shaken not stirred; A year ago today history was made when Prime Minister Tony Blair shook hands with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams. LINDSAY FERGUS looks at how the Northern Ireland political process has shaped up since that symbolic gesture.(Features)
- Article from:
- The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
- Article date:
- October 13, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Johnston Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ALTHOUGH it was behind closed doors, well away from the focus of the media spotlight, Premier Tony Blair's handshake with the head of Sinn Fein made headline news.
The ground-breaking encounter, which occurred in a Belfast administration block on October 13 1997, was later described by both parties as positive and constructive.
It was the first time a serving British Prime Minister had shaken the hand of a Sinn Fein leader since partition was negotiated by Lloyd George and Michael Collins 75 years earlier in 1921.
The famous meeting marked the ...