time last night at CedarBridge Academy.

And they will now take a message of peace to younger gang members who are due to return to school next week, urging them to end the fighting between area groups of youth which has been happening regularly since Cup Match.

After more than three hours of talks, sworn enemies laughed and joked and shook hands promising to convince teenagers from their neighbourhoods to stop fighting.

"I can go to Horseshoe Beach this weekend now,'' said one Pembroke resident, whereas he could not have done before because of tensions between different neighbourhoods.

"This wasn't the gangs meeting, it was a meeting of the influential people,'' said another attendee. "We are the ones who can set the youth straight.

Understand and listen. It is over.'' Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith said there was consistent message of commitment to peace and to stop the violence.

He said: "There is a definite desire to be able to travel freely about the Island -- that's a major thing. We are trying to convince them that they have to put down the knives and put the machetes away. They are speaking about this for the very first time. They are saying for the very first time to each other `you can come up town and you can come up country'.'' There were about 23 gang members and a few interested members of the community who attended the meeting which went on past Press time. It is thought that the older gang members would take this message of `peace' back to their younger members.

Last week there was also a meeting between some gang members. The meeting was attended by Police Commissioner Jean-Jacques Lemay.