Major peace conference underway in city

Heralded as a unique gathering of those who a few years ago would have regarded each other as implacable enemies, the conference has been organised under the auspices of The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.

Representatives from ex-prisoners groups linked to the UDA, UVF, Provisional IRA, Official IRA and the INLA will gather today and Thursday to discuss issues relating to the Troubles.

The official title of the conference is 'From Prison to Peace' and more than 100 delegates will attend. Topics for discussion will include conflict transformation, sectarianism, youth engagement and how to deal with the legacy of the past.

The Londonderry branch of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), linked to the UVF, are taking part in the conference. Leslie Mitchell of the PUP told the Sentinel: "For a start I think this is a good thing for the city. It may achieve a focus on what we are trying to do. Here people who were diametrically opposed and tried to kill each other for the past thirty years are going to be sitting around the table trying to advance peace.

"On a personal level I hope the conference reveals what many people have been doing in the background for many years in terms of peacebuilding."

Programmes manager at the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, Cormac McAleer, told the Sentinel: "Working Together is the latest in a series of initiatives organised by the From Prison to Peace Partnership, which combines support organisations for political ex-prisoners connected to the five main groups identified with the conflict here.

"The Partnership is administered by our foundation. The Partnership has been very active in the peace-building arena and its work is due to run until 2011."