EMOTIONAL DAY FOR CLINTON
Emotional day for Clinton
AMERICAN President Bill Clinton will see many sides of Northern Ireland today; the hope that was borne of the Good Friday Agreement represented by his meeting with the New Assembly members; the tragedy of the past 30 years encapsulated in the emotions he encounters in Omagh; and the determination of ordinary people to build a better future evident at a peace rally in Armagh.
He will encounter protest, too, over the American bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan, a shameful episode in a great nation's history which may continue to haunt the President wherever he goes in the free world.
The purpose of his visit is to support the peace agreement, a process through which his influence has been well-documented.
Today by his presence he will endorse the Good Friday Agreement, and can also be expected to welcome the new anti-terrorist laws, in which America's influence is also obvious, and welcome this week's move by Sinn Fein to distance themselves from the use of violence and involve themselves in the decommissioning process.
Those who know the President's mind on Irish affairs recognise that his involvement here has been motivated by a desire for peace in the country where his family roots can be traced.
In this respect he has made a particular effort to understand the unionist position, and is mindful of the fact that the Ulster-Scots have been here longer than the white man has been in America.
As on his last visit, he is assured a warm Ulster welcome wherever he goes. With so many problems to deal with back in Washington, his only regret is likely to be that he could not stay longer!
AMERICAN President Bill Clinton will see many sides of Northern Ireland today; the hope that was borne of the Good Friday Agreement represented by his meeting with the New Assembly members; the tragedy of the past 30 years encapsulated in the emotions he encounters in Omagh; and the determination of ordinary people to build a better future evident at a peace rally in Armagh.
He will encounter protest, too, over the American bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan, a shameful episode in a great nation's history which may continue to haunt the President wherever he goes in the free world.
The purpose of his visit is to support the peace agreement, a process through which his influence has been well-documented.
Today by his presence he will endorse the Good Friday Agreement, and can also be expected to welcome the new anti-terrorist laws, in which America's influence is also obvious, and welcome this week's move by Sinn Fein to distance themselves from the use of violence and involve themselves in the decommissioning process.
Those who know the President's mind on Irish affairs recognise that his involvement here has been motivated by a desire for peace in the country where his family roots can be traced.
In this respect he has made a particular effort to understand the unionist position, and is mindful of the fact that the Ulster-Scots have been here longer than the white man has been in America.
As on his last visit, he is assured a warm Ulster welcome wherever he goes. With so many problems to deal with back in Washington, his only regret is likely to be that he could not stay longer!
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/261
Published Date: 03-Sep-98
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