Gerry Adams reflects on 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement
Former Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams has told UTV that "no sane person would ever want to go back" to the violence of the past.
He made the comments during a special interview reflecting on 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
Mr Adams was responding to a question from UTV's Political Editor Tracey Magee about recent poll results which suggest a decline in support for the agreement within the unionist community.
"I wouldn't be too fixated on these polls," said the former republican leader.
"How are you measuring that? You're measuring that in some poll or other? Well then let's, let's measure at a referendum.
"There is nobody that I know, no sane person, would ever want to go back to what we have come out of," he added.
During the interview, Mr Adams reflected on the days and hours leading up to the signing of the historic peace deal.
"The last few days, it was almost waiting for the unionists," he explained.
"I remember George Mitchell, this might have been the day before, maybe Thursday, and we were trying to gee-things along and he said to myself and Martin McGuinness, 'Look the problem is that David Trimble always thought youse were going to walk out but now he is beginning to realise that you're not, so he's a big decision to make.'
"He (Trimble) wasn't helped by his own team, you know," said Mr Adams.
"Somewhere in the course of that Jeffrey Donaldson walked out, Arlene Foster walked out (of the Ulster Unionist Party)."
On the issue of IRA decommissioning Mr Adams said "it couldn't have been done any more quickly than it was".
"It's a conflict resolution process, you have to persuade people," he added.
"We were busy at that time looking after our own house and trying to get republicans through this, you know, and I got to know David fairly well in the years afterwards.
"We used to meet on a Sunday, we used to meet up at Hillsborough, not every Sunday, but we got to know each other and I think he did his best and I think he deserves great credit."
As for a united Ireland - Mr Adams said he remains hopeful it will happen in his lifetime.
"Nothing is inevitable, that's for sure, but now it's a doable project," he told UTV.
"I'd like to think it would happen in my life time, depending on how long I'm blessed with a life, but it's now doable."
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