Mirwaiz to study Irish peace pact

11 December 2006
The Daily Times

Srinagar: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq left for Northern Ireland Monday, saying he would study the Irish peace process to see if it could help resolve the Kashmir dispute. Mirwaiz heads Kashmirs main separatist alliance, the Hurriyat Conference. He said the grouping was conducting an extensive study of peace agreements around the world. The visit to Belfast is purely to acquaint myself with the Good Friday peace deal, Farooq told AFP before flying out from New Delhi. I will try to meet the parties involved and try to understand if there are any similarities between the Irish and Kashmiri problems and if that agreement can help in resolving the Kashmir dispute, said Farooq. Farooq is also lined up for a visit to Norway, where he will meet diplomats involved in talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers. I will be meeting them in Oslo. I want to understand how they managed to bring two warring sides to the table, he said.