BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- A draft report calls for the removal of so-called "peace walls" in Northern Ireland separating Catholics and Protestants, government officials said.
The walls, located primarily in Belfast, were first constructed in 1969 and were thought to be a temporary measure to keep the peace between neighbors. While the report, produced by a cross-section of political parties, acknowledged there will still need to be safety measures to ease the transition in mixed religion neighborhoods, it said, "together with people in the local community, we can reduce the number of physical interface structures with a view to their elimination by 2022."
The Belfast Telegraph said Saturday there are about 59 walls in Belfast, Londonderry and Craigavon, some as tall as 25 feet, stretching for more than 20 miles.
