THERE is a significant minority of people within Northern Ireland who do not want the Good Friday Agreement to succeed.

In both the Republican and Unionist sections of the Ulster community there are extremists who find the notion of compromise wholly unacceptable.

For some considerable time in the future they will continue to put the peace deal to the test, hoping to bring about the permanent downfall of devolved power in pursuit of their aim to achieve hegemony for their own political and religious group within the province.

Already we can see the pressure piling on the power-sharing executive within weeks of its re-instatement.

Yesterday, there was the threat by the UFF to lift its ceasefire.

And over the coming days and weeks tension will build up in the run-up to the marching season.

This is a time for restraint for the mainstream political leaders in Northern Ireland.

Any rift which develops between members of the devolved government will be seized upon by opponents of the Good Friday Agreement, and exploited to the full.

The extremists must not be allowed to hijack the political agenda.

The need for consensus has never been greater.

No one pretends that there are not still problems to be solved. No one can expect a discord spanning generations to be eradicated overnight. It will take time, patience and understanding.

Traditionally, these have been rare virtues in Northern Ireland's politics.

But history will not forgive those leaders who put at risk the province's only chance of long-term peace and stability over a dispute involving a few yards of a parade route.

The ultimate prize on offer is too great to throw away.

Too often, politics in Northern Ireland are dominated by the posturing of the extremists. They have a voice which exceeds their popular support.

Rather than concentrating on appeasing extremist opinion, more attention should be focused on the aspirations of the vast majority - the vast majority who two years ago supported the Good Friday Agreement, and who remain committed to it.