Skip to content

Philippines Today

home of the Global Filipino

Menu
  • News Stories
  • Regional News
  • Business & Economy
  • Science & Technology
  • International
Menu

UK security adviser arriving

Posted on November 2, 2008

PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — THE British government’s security adviser will arrive in Manila on Monday for a two-day dialogue on the peace process.

Robert Hannigan, security adviser to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and head of UK Security Intelligence and Resilience. will meet with the Security Cluster of the Philippine Cabinet and leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to share the UK experience in the Northern Ireland peace process.

“I am delighted that Robert Hannigan, with his intimate experience of negotiating peace in Northern Ireland, is visiting Manila. Of course there are many differences between the peace discussions in Northern Ireland and Mindanao, but if the parties in Mindanao can gain insight from Robert Hannigan’s work, then his visit will be valuable,” Peter Beckingham, British ambassador to the Philippines, said.

“Hannigan’s visit follows discussions between UK Foreign Office Minister Meg Munn and Secretaries Romulo and Dureza in Manila in May, when they agreed it would be useful for a senior official involved in the Northern Ireland peace process to visit the Philippines.

“The idea of a sharing of experiences was initially brought up when President Arroyo met with Tony Blair in December 2007,” he added.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon Jr. welcomed the visit of Hannigan.

“Dr. Hannigan’s visit is very timely as the Philippine government is shifting to a new paradigm in engaging various armed groups,” Esperon said.

Hannigan is responsible for advising the Prime Minister on security policy, intelligence matters, crisis coordination and civil contingency planning.

He is also responsible for the coordination and funding of the UK intelligence agencies and for the UK National Security Strategy.

Until 2007 he was the principal adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the peace process, including negotiations with the political parties and liaison with the Irish government and the U.S. administration.

As political director general in Northern Ireland, Robert was responsible for the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) of 1998. He worked with Prime Minister Tony Blair, his Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell and successive Northern Ireland Secretaries (Peter Mandelson, John Reid, Paul Murphy, and Peter Hain) to achieve the government’s objective of establishing the power-sharing institutions envisaged in the GFA.

This involved some nine years of crises and setbacks, talks processes and summits, and elections, leading to the St Andrews’ Agreement in October 2006.

The process led to the agreement between the two major Northern Ireland parties, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein, to share power in a restored assembly in May 2007.

These parties are now negotiating the final part of the agreement, the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The peace process involved the resolution of highly contentious issues, including the release of paramilitary prisoners, the reform of policing, the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, new measures to safeguard human rights and equality, and dealing with the legacy of a violent past. Robert’s remit covered both political talks and negotiations with the representatives of republican and ‘loyalist’ (protestant) paramilitaries.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Related

News Categories

  • Announcement (34)
  • Business & Economy (1,567)
  • Comment and Opinion (74)
    • Random Thoughts (18)
  • Current Issues (425)
    • Charter Change (1)
    • Election (228)
    • Population (6)
  • International (389)
  • Life In Japan (66)
    • Everything Japan (41)
  • Literary (34)
  • Miscellaneous (610)
  • News Stories (5,312)
  • OFW Corner (297)
  • Others (75)
  • People (408)
  • Press Releases (163)
  • Regional News (3,362)
  • Science and Technology (502)
  • Sports & Entertainment (287)

Latest News

  • BSP keeps policy rates anew December 17, 2015
  • NEDA cuts PHL additional rice import for 2016 by 25% December 17, 2015
  • DA cites serious implications of banning genetically modified products December 17, 2015
  • BBL is not yet dead – Drilon December 17, 2015
  • Comelec recognizes Duterte’s CoC for president December 17, 2015
  • NEDA chief sees 2015 growth at 6% despite typhoons December 17, 2015
  • House of Representatives ratifies bicam report on P3.002-T national budget for 2016 December 17, 2015
  • Cebu-based developer invests PHP430M to build 709 townhouse units in north Cebu town December 17, 2015
  • City gov’t eyes P75-M income from economic enterprise December 17, 2015
  • Baguio City LGU presents traffic plan for holiday season December 17, 2015

Archives

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Science and Technology

  • DOST-ICTO targets 500,000 web-based workers from countryside by 2016
  • (Feature) STARBOOKS: A ‘makeover’ for librarians
  • Science, research reduce ‘cocolisap’ hotspot areas in PHL
  • Montejo to further improve PAGASA and empower scientists
  • 1st PPP in biomedical research produces knee replacement system fit for Asians

Press Releases

  • Microsoft to buy Nokia’s mobile devices business for 5.44-B euros
  • New World Bank climate change report should spur SEA and world leaders into action: Greenpeace
  • Save the Philippine Seas before it’s too late — Greenpeace
  • Palanca Awards’ last call for entries
  • Philippines joins the global call for Arctic protection

Comment and Opinion

  • Remembering the dead is a celebration of life
  • Killer earthquake unlikely to hit Panay Island in near future – analyst
  • It’s not just more fun to invest in the Philippines, it is also profitable, says President Aquino
  • How does one differentiate a tamaraw from a carabao?
  • Fun is not just about the place, it is also about the people, says DOT chief

OFW Corner

  • Ebola infection risk low in Croatia
  • Death toll rises to 41, over 100 still missing in landslide in India
  • Asbestos use in construction a labor hazard
  • 500,000 OFWs to benefit POEA on-line transactions — Baldoz
  • 25 distressed OFWs return home from Riyadh
©2025 Philippines Today | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme