‘Unionists feel alienated' - White House advisor

He renewed US calls for continued decommissioning by the IRA and loyalist paramilitary groups, and said: ‘‘Decommissioning is a process, not an event.’’

In the speech to an audience which included Ireland’s ambassador to the US and senior British diplomats, Mr Haass said the province had entered ‘‘a new paradigm’’.

In a blunt warning to leaders of all parties in Northern Ireland, Mr Haass said: ‘‘There has been a failure at all levels in Northern Ireland - but particularly at the level of political leadership - to acknowledge that the fates of the two communities are tied to one another.

‘‘Unless both communities share the benefits of peace, neither will know lasting security or prosperity.

‘‘The leaders of Northern Ireland must resist appealing only to the dissatisfied. Leaders have a responsibility to future generations to lay the groundwork for an inclusive society.’’

Mr Haass, who played a key role in persuading the IRA to decommission part of its arsenal in October, said Northern Ireland’s Catholic community was now ‘‘thriving’’ and was no longer simply ‘‘a disadvantaged minority’’ - meaning the US view of the North had to change.

‘‘The new paradigm of Northern Ireland is much more complex than the old one of minority discrimination,’’ he said.

‘‘A majority in both communities must be satisfied and have a firm stake in society and its future for both to be comfortable.

‘‘What comes to mind is nothing so much as the old adage that we can either hang together or hang separately.’’

Mr Haass said violence by Protestants as Catholic schoolgirls walked to Holy Cross school in North Belfast was ‘‘inexcusable’’, but had to be understood in the context of growing Protestant alienation.

‘‘The rage which spilled out in this inexcusable behaviour was rooted in economic distress, uneasiness over demographic changes, lack of proper housing and - most importantly - fear that the new society being built in Northern Ireland offers little place for those doing the protesting - for Protestants, for loyalists, for unionists,’’ he said.

‘‘We were witness to a community in the midst of a painful transition.

‘‘This growing insecurity and feeling of isolation on the part of many in the Protestant community has manifested itself in many ways.

‘‘It underlies both the shift in unionist politics away from the moderate centre and the growing violence in loyalist communities.’’

Mr Haass said there was a responsibility to ‘‘be sensitive’’ to ‘‘growing insecurity’’ within the majority Protestant community.

‘‘What some see as the removal of symbols of oppression, others see as a stripping away of their identity,’’ he said.

‘‘What some view as the rightful correction of past economic and political imbalances, others view as a threat to their livelihood.

‘‘Widening our perspective will require us to admit that focusing on the grievances of only one community can make us blind to problems which threaten the prospects for lasting peace for the entire society.’’

And the White House’s special adviser said the onus for creating an ‘‘inclusive’’ society rested on the North’s political leaders.

‘‘There is no substitute for leadership which reaches out across communities and prods people to look beyond their immediate circumstances,’’ he said.

‘‘Simply put, leaders have a responsibility to lead.’’

He also told community and business leaders that they too had a job to do.

‘‘If the anti-Agreement forces dictate the future of politics in Northern Ireland, everyone, including the business community, will pay the price.’’

He said Washington remained committed to being ‘‘an honest broker’’ in Northern Ireland and said it would intervene not on behalf of parties but ‘‘the peace process’’.

And he outlined a series of steps for all sides of the peace process to take, including a call for further decommissioning of paramilitary weapons.

‘‘We appeal to all paramilitary groups, including the IRA, to continue decommissioning,’’ he said.

‘‘The IRA’s first act of decommissioning was rightly applauded, but decommissioning must be a process, not an event.’’

He also repeated calls for Sinn Fein to join the board of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland, which it is boycotting, claiming it does not go far enough to meet nationalist and republican concerns.

‘‘We ask everyone - political leaders, community leaders and citizens - to reject the divisive rhetoric of the past and condemn the violence that continues to mar Northern Ireland.

‘‘We challenge political leaders to rise above sectarian divides and offer a vision of the future where people of all backgrounds feel truly at home in Northern Ireland.’’