Transcript of an interview with John Hume, leader of the SDLP, by Jennifer Byrne for ABC News Foreign Correspondent on 14 March 2000. On 11 February Peter Mandelson, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, suspended devolved government and returned Northern Ireland to direct rule following the IICD’s assertion that the IRA had not indicated when it would begin decommissioning its weaponry. Hume discusses the political impasse and assesses the progress made in the Peace Process since the Belfast Agreement/Good Friday Agreement. Devolution was later restored to Northern Ireland on 30 May 2000. Foreign Correspondent is an Australian international current affairs programme on ABC News.
Date of Release/Broadcast: 14 March 2000
Name of First Interviewee: John Hume
Role at time of Interview: Leader of the SDLP
Interviewer: Jennifer Byrne
Purpose: News
Media: Transcript
Copyright:
Link: Read the transcript
Programme/Book/Article: ABC News Foreign Correspondent
Time Period covered: 1998-2000
Key Individuals: John Hume
Key Words: Belfast Agreement, Good Friday Agreement, decommissioning, IRA, devolution