Esteemed Australian diplomat who agreed to chair 1992 NI peace talks

A STATE funeral is to be held for an Australian diplomat who chaired Northern Ireland peace talks in the 1990s.

Sir Ninian Stephen, a former Australian Governor-General who served on the International Court of Justice, died at the weekend aged 94.

In 1992, the British and Irish Governments chose him to chair a new phase of the Northern Ireland peace talks.

His family has accepted an offer of a State funeral from Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. “Australia will rememrule

Role: Sir Ninian Stephen

ber Sir Ninian for his humility, his intellect, and his lifelong commitment to justice and the of law,” Mr Turnbull said. He added there were very few honours he did not already have, with five separate knighthoods to his name.

His involvement in the peace process first started in 1991 when Secretary of State Peter Brooke announced a basis for formal talks.

Sir Ninian was called in to chair the Anglo-Irish talks after unionists refused to accept Brooke or the Irish Foreign Minister as joint chairs.

Accepted by unionists and the SDLP, with Sinn Fein excluded from the process, the talks eventually began in July 1992.

At the time he admitted he had “great doubt as to whether this was actually going to lead anywhere”.

One of his main tasks was easing tensions between the SDLP and DUP leader Ian Paisley.

Sir Ninian — who personally updated the Queen of any progress — ended the talks in November, with some feeling that the Republic’s general election at the time halted the momentum.

Despite praise for his efforts from all sides, Sir Ninian said he left unsure of what had actually been achieved.

Born in the UK, Sir Ninian didn’t move to the other side of the world until his teenage years. He studied law before serving as an infantryman during the Second World War in New Guinea and Borneo.

His varied career also saw him serve as a judge for the International Criminal Tribunal, investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.

Following his time in Belfast, his expertise continued to be in demand internationally.

That saw him advise on South Africa’s constitution, investigate forced labour in Burma, as well as helping to set up a tribunal to hear cases involving atrocities committed by the genocidal Khmer Rouge ‘Killing Fields’ regime.

ALLAN PRESTON