George Mitchell acknowledges that the Good Friday Agreement did not solve all the issues and that it was a compromise.

"It was the best that could be achieved at the time," he says.

He says that while Northern Ireland has its problems, all countries suffer from violence and crime.

"I say this as a friend and as a visitor, Northern Ireland is a good place," Mitchell tells the audience.

"Its people are good people".

He adds that while we should not wish away the problems, we also should not exaggerate them.

George Mitchell is now recounting the final days leading up to the signing of the agreement, including how President Bill Clinton sat up all night in the White House talking to Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern by telephone.

He said he reminded delegates that every word in the agreement had been written by someone from Northern Ireland.

"This is your agreement," he told them.

Senator Mitchell recalls the birth of his son Andrew in 1997 at a time when he was considering leaving his role as special envoy to Northern Ireland due to his pessimism about the talks process.

He said his wife encouraged him to go back to Belfast and work for a deal, thinking about the future of the 61 children born in Northern Ireland on the same day as their new baby.

"If you do not go back and fighting resumes you will not be able to live with yourself," he says she told him.

Senator Mitchell asks the audience to stand and honour every life lost since the agreement was signed with a moment of silence.

He asks the audience to not think of these as just numbers but rather as mothers, sons and daughters whose lives where cut short.

He goes on to praise John Hume and David Trimble - the leaders of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Ulster Unionist Party respectively at the time of the agreement.

"Without John Hume there would not have been a peace process" he says.

"Without David Trimble there would not have been a peace agreement."

George Mitchell says there is a continuing commitment to peace.

"It is unmistakably clear that the people of Northern Ireland do not want to return to violence. Not now, not ever," he tells the conference.

He says that some political parties - like parties everywhere in the world - have people who are unprepared to compromise.

But Mitchell says that compromise is important for progress in a democracy.

"There is great depth in recognising that the only way to help us emerge from the rubble of conflict as that we must learn to understand each other," he sadds.

Mitchell offers his advice to the people of Northern Ireland saying, "don't always be so hard on yourselves".

He goes on to say that the people of Northern Ireland should never give up on the belief that they can do and be better.

Former Senator George Mitchell is this morning's keynote speaker and is welcomed to the stage with a warm round of applause.

"Twenty-five years ago the people of Northern Ireland and their leaders changed the course of history" he says.

He notes that many years on, people in Northern Ireland still wrestle with "their doubts and differences".

"The answer is not perfection or permanence, it is now, as it was then, for the future leaders of Northern Ireland to act with courage and with vision as their predecessors did 25 years ago."

Image source, PA

Secretary Clinton says Northern Ireland is an example to the world of how former adversaries can get past previous differences for a brighter future.

She says the United States will continue to support Northern Ireland as it moves forward.

Clinton also praises the university for allowing students from different backgrounds to come together and live and study together.

"There is nothing ordinary about what has been built here at Queen's," she says.

Hillary Clinton, the university's chancellor, is next to take to the microphone.

She tells the conference that the longevity of the good Friday agreement remains a triumph.

Clinton says the credit for peace goes to the "brave people of Northern Ireland" who took risks.

She goes on to credit the woman of Northern Ireland, saying that without them "there wouldn't be a good Friday agreement to celebrate."

Image source, PA

Next up is Emma Murphy, president of the Queen's students' union.

She tells the conference that students have been at the forefront of the peace process in Northern Ireland for decades.

"Young people who I speak to have no doubt in their mind about peace," she says.

"For us, there is no going back."

She adds that a lack of devolved government in Northern Ireland is letting people down.

Queen's University's vice-chancellor Prof Ian Greer opens the conference by welcoming guests and delegates.

He says the theme of the first day of the conference is "reflection".

Greer says that without the tenacity and commitment of political leaders in 1998 there would have been no possibility of an agreement.

He singles out Senator George Mitchell - a former chancellor of the university who will shortly give a keynote address.

He chaired the talks which led to the agreement being signed.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent

Has much changed since world leaders and local politicians last met at Queen’s University in 2018 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement?

The political deadlock that existed five years ago continues now, albeit for a different reason.

Former prime ministers and presidents will want to caveat their language carefully and avoid direct criticism when it comes to the Democratic Unionist Party's continuing absence from power sharing.

The asbsence of some major players will be felt however.

Former Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble and Social Democratic and Labour Party stalwarts John Hume and Seamus Mallon have passed away in the last three years.

A special memorial session is expected to take place allowing tributes to be paid to those who are no longer here.

Jessica Lawrence
BBC News NI, at Queen's University

Delegates and invited guests are beginning to make their way into the Whitla Hall.

Among them, local politicians and those lucky enough to snag tickets to the event.

At about 09:30 the conference will begin with an introduction from the university's vice-chancellor, Prof Ian Greer before a keynote address by former US Senator George Mitchell.

Jessica Lawrence
BBC News NI, at Queen's University

It is a rainy and foggy start to the day at Queen's University.

Over the next few hours, guests will arrive for the start of the three-day conference.

Security is tight.

But what else can be expected when there is a former prime minister, a former taoiseach, and a former US president on the bill?

Guests for today’s events will be brought through airport-style security before they are allowed near the Whitla Hall.

Those hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the big names may be out of luck.

Metal barriers have been placed along the road from Botanic Gardens and right down University Road.

Proceedings are due to begin at about 09:30 BST, with an introduction by the university’s vice-chancellor, Prof Ian Greer.

The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was a political deal designed to bring an end to 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles.

It was signed on 10 April 1998 and approved by public votes in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Here is an explainer by our reporter Mark Simpson.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of a major conference being held at Queen’s University Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Many key figures who were involved in the 1990s peace talks will be in Belfast for the three-day event; among them former Bill Clinton - the US president at the time of the deal - and Hillary Clinton who was first lady and later served as US secretary of state.

Secretary Clinton is now the university’s chancellor.

There will also be a keynote address by former US Senator George Mitchell, who chaired the Good Friday Agreement talks process.

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Presidents of Ireland Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson will also attend as well as Bertie Ahern, the taoiseach (Irish prime minister) at the time the deal was struck.

Image source, Getty Images