Pact on justice in Northern Ireland signed

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The prime ministers of Britain and Ireland signed an agreement Friday transferring responsibility for criminal justice to Northern Ireland.

Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen returned to Hillsborough Castle outside Belfast following a late-night deal between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein on devolution of police and courts, The Times of London reports.

First Minister Peter Robinson, leader of the DUP, and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein plan to begin putting the agreement into practice Monday by consulting party leaders about a justice minister, The Irish Times reports. On Tuesday, they plan to name a panel to discuss how to deal with the contentious issue of the parades held in July by Unionists to celebrate the Catholic defeat in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne.

Not pleased with the accord was Jim Allister, the leader of Ulster's hardline Traditional Unionist Voice party. Allister said the DUP members had let their country down and handed a victory to Sinn Fein.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement calling the agreement "another important step" to an enduring peace.

"This is a dream nurtured for so long in the hearts of people across Northern Ireland," she sad. "It is also a dream that lives far beyond its borders, in all countries and communities where ethnic and religious conflicts persist. This latest success in Northern Ireland points the way forward -- and not only for this one conflict. Northern Ireland gives us hope that, despite entrenched opposition and innumerable setbacks, diligent diplomacy and committed leadership can overcome generations of suspicion and hostility."