PEACE DEAL
THIS year marks 20 years since The Good Friday Agreement was struck effectively bringing an end to The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
An estimated 1,500 people died in the 20 years before the deal - there have been fewer than 150 victims of conflict-related violence since.
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Who will attend the Good Friday Agreement anniversary?
To mark its anniversary, a conference will be held today featuring many of the main players involved in the peace talks.
The gathering - at Belfast's Queen's University - is called 'Building Peace: 20 years on from the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.'
Former US President Bill Clinton and ex Prime Minister Tony Blair are among the international dignitaries on show.
Others include Blair aide Jonathan Powell, former Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern, ex Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and US envoy George Mitchell.
Lord Trimble and Seamus Mallon - the former first and deputy first leaders of the Northern Ireland Assembly - will also attend.
Later, Mr Clinton and Mr Mitchell will both receive the freedom of Belfast in a special ceremony at the Ulster Hall.
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Why is Bill Clinton attending the Good Friday Agreement anniversary?
The former US President's influence on the peace process in Northern Ireland was pivotal to ensuring all parties reached an agreement.
In 1995, he visited Northern Ireland, and spoke in favour of the "peace process" to a huge rally at Belfast's City Hall.
He famously called terrorists "yesterday's men"and later made a number of telephone calls to party leaders to encourage them to talk.
Clinton said the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement should be celebrated "not for what happened but for what can happen".
The former world leader also urged politicians to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
He told an audience in Dublin: "The Irish peace was born out of weariness of children dying and of lost chances.
"The further you get away from that, the easier it is to take the absence of bad for granted and to live in this purgatory we are in now."
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Who is Jonathan Powell and why was he key to the deal being struck?
As a senior member of the Labour administration, Jonathan Powell took a lead role in the negotiations that led to the signing of the deal.
It was his ability to negotiate with those on the extreme sides of Northern Ireland's political spectrum which gave the peace talks hope.
He was the only senior adviser to last the whole period of Tony Blair’s leadership and was known as the then PM's most trusted aide.
In March 2008, Powell called for tactics used successfully in Northern Ireland to be applied to the war on terrorism.
He suggested western governments hold talks with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, just as the British government negotiated with the IRA.
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What was the Good Friday Agreement?
Twenty years ago, on 10 April 1998, peace came to the people of Northern Ireland.
After decades of brutal sectarian conflict rival political groups agreed to work together to solve their differences with talk.
The deal, also known as The Belfast Agreement, was struck by the British and Irish governments and eight political parties of Northern Ireland.
It acknowledged Northern Ireland’s constitutional status as part of the UK.
The deal also paved the way to a united Ireland if a majority of people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland wanted it
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It meant the British government would be bound to hold a referendum, and honour the result.
The agreement committed the parties to democratic and peaceful methods of resolving political disputes.
It marked a commitment to “the mutual respect, the civil rights and the religious liberties of everyone in the community”.
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