The North South Ministerial Council established under the Good Friday Agreement will oversee the work of cross-border bodies.
Northern Secretary Peter Mandelson met Minister for Foreign Affairs David Andrews in Iveagh House this morning for the official exchange of documents that will bring the British Irish Agreement into effect.
From today the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive will replace direct rule from Westminster.
The North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) inaugural meeting is expected to be held later this month in Armagh, the historic ecclesiastical centre of Ireland.
Six new cross border organisations will be created. It is thought that the offices for Trade and Business, and Inland Waterways will be in the north, and Food Safety and EU (European Union) Programmes in the Republic.
Aquaculture and the Marine may be split between Derry and Carlingford County Louth, and the Irish Language body will be based in the south, with an Ulster Scots promotion unit in Belfast.
Andy Pollok at the Centre For Cross Border Studies in Armagh believes that this new era will benefit everyone on the island of Ireland, giving people the opportunity to,
Learn how to do things together.
Culture and heritage must receive funding, says Ulster Scots language activist Nelson McCausland, who is advocating for,
A major programme of language and culture development for Ulster Scots.
Aodán Mac Póilín of the Ultach Trust, a cross-community Irish language charity based in Belfast, hopes that promotion of both languages are prioritised, as they are,
The inheritance of the entire population of this part of the country.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 2 December 1999. The reporter is Brendan Wright.
