Breakthrough on Orange march

Welcoming the news that the Tour of the North parade would not pass by Ardoyne, North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly said he hoped the decision would set the tone for a peaceful summer.
“Sinn Féin has always said the way to resolve these matters is through dialogue and I want to congratulate all those involved in the long and protracted negotiations around the issue of parades,” he said.
“This is a good news story for North Belfast and particularly for all those adversely affected by contentious parades in the past.”
The parade organisers withdrew the return leg of next week’s Tour of the North parade past Ardoyne after weeks of negotiation with a local residents group.
Intense talks have been taking place between the North West Belfast Parades Forum and the Ardoyne Parades Dialogue Group about contentious parades and their impact on local communities.
Previous Tour of the North parades have ended in violence with clashes between residents and marchers and rioting on the Crumlin Road resulting in millions of pounds of damage.
But Wednesday’s agreement will mean the parade will not pass the Ardoyne shops.
No decision had yet been made on the Duncairn end of the Tour.
Commending the hard work of representatives from both groups, Nationalist residents' spokesman Joe Marley said the decision would improve the prospects for a peaceful summer in the greater Crumlin Road area.
“A lot of hard work has been done by representatives of the two groups in a bid to create conditions where the two communities in the area work to resolve their differences on the parades issues through dialogue and negotiation based on mutual respect,” said Joe.
“It is our view that the Tour of the North will contribute to building further confidence in this dialogue and it is a hugely significant move.”