Govt urges restraint ahead of contentious Orange parades
The Irish Government has called on both sides of the sectarian divide in the North to exercise restraint during next week's Orange Order parades in the wake of the London bombings.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said he also hoped the attacks in the British capital would help both sides come together to reach agreement on the parades.
At the moment, nationalists in north Belfast are extremely angry at a Parades Commission decision to allow a march in Ardoyne, despite the Orange Order's refusal to speak to local residents.
Sinn Féin has been warning of a real potential for violence, but Mr Ahern said he hoped yesterday's atrocities would prompt nationalists and unionists to come together
"We're all human beings and hopefully people on both sides of the difficulties in relation to parades will see the type of sense that we've seen portrayed in Derry, where people have come together and discussed the issues and worked out their differences," he said.
Meanwhile, the SDLP has called on the Orange Order not to pass through contentious areas out of respect for yesterday's dead and for nationalist residents to call off planned protests even if Orangemen march where they are not wanted.
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