Jonathan Powell, one of the architects of the GFA and the chief advisor to PM Blair, states that political conflicts require non-violent resolutions, which can best be achieved through official negotiations. The focus of this chapter is to examine the role of these negotiations through bilateral talks, multilateral initiatives and third-party approaches towards bringing the Northern Irish and Turkey's Kurdish conflicts to an end. It also aims to understand how political parties and actors have determined these two peace processes. The chapter aims to answer the following question: What has been the impact of the official negotiations towards ending violence and reaching peace agreements in the Northern Irish and Kurdish conflicts?

The chapter first investigates the official negotiations in Northern Ireland and then in Turkey through a two-focus analysis: bilateral talks and multilateral initiatives, including mediation efforts. While bilateral talks were largely used as the initial stage of the official negotiations in both peace processes, the multilateral efforts were implemented at the later stage. It then compares the findings of the two cases and the underlying reasons for the successful or disagreement between the two sides over security and political cooperation, there were still some changes. It is evident that there was a change in the position of the British government, as it admitted the existence of two different traditions within Northern Ireland. As Vayrynen notes, a change in the identification of the problem is a sign of issue transformation. This occurred by recognising the existence of the Catholic and Protestant communities. It was a significant point in the negotiations, but did not end the British government's coercive measures and security policies, which did not help conduct resolution efforts in a peaceful environment. For example, the hunger strikes of 1980–1 demonstrate that the government was willing to maintain coercive policies, as Th atcher declared the triumphalism of the British government when she went to Belfast on 28 May 1981.