Wednesday 27 June 2012

Famous reconciliations sealed with a handshake

When the Queen and former Provisional Irish Republican Army leader Martin McGuinness shook hands in a delicately choreographed moment for both sides, it put a further seal on the peace process in Northern Ireland.

(From left) Joseph Stalin, Harry S. Truman and Winston Churchill at the Potsdam conference in 1945

By Richard Alleyne

2:59PM BST 27 Jun 2012

Here's a gallery of historic handshakes that became powerful symbols of peace:

Stalin-Churchill-Truman

The Soviet Union's Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and U.S. President Harry Truman shook hands in July 17 1945 in Germany to display to the world that, for the time being, all three countries were united in restructuring a post-Nazi Europe.

Nixon-Mao

^(AP)

U.S. President Richard Nixon, a staunch anti-Communist through much of his political career, shakes hands with Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung in February 1972 on Nixon's historic visit to China.

Begin-Sadat

^(EPA)

Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin welcomes Egyptian President Anwar Sadat with a handshake on Nov. 19, 1977, an extraordinary gesture that helped lead to the signing of a peace treaty 16 months later.

Reagan- Gorbachev

^{(AFP/Getty Images)}

A handshake between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev on Nov. 19, 1985 at a summit in Geneva signals the opening of a new era in relations.

Mandela-De Klerk

^(Reuters)

President F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela shake hands in Cape Town, South Africa on May 4, 1990 after announcing an agreement on steps that will lead to talks on ending white-minority rule.

Rabin-Arafat

^(AP)

Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat shake hands in public for the first time at the White House on Sept. 13, 1993, with President Bill Clinton looking on. The agreement called for a final settlement to be achieved by February 1999.