PRESIDENTIAL VISIT
Presidential Visit
The President of the United States will walk through Omagh's heavily vetted streets today, it is a visit of tremendous importance, and has generated phenomenal interest. However, the reason for the visit must not be lost in the excited throng.
Omagh people were blown to bits in an act of carnage that will be remembered in infamy.
There were children killed before birth, there were others slain in their prams and there are youngsters that will forever live with torment, of missing parents, brothers, sisters and friends. There are parents, for whom the void left by the death of a child will never be filled. Husbands will grieve for wives, and wives for husbands until the day they die, that is the reality.
Yes, the President's visit is important, and the people of Omagh are right to welcome him. He is coming to share the grief of Omagh, it is a visit to a bomb site, to a graveyard, to meet those who have lost and suffered, those whose lives will never be the same again, it is not an occasion for celebration.
President Clinton's goodwill is important to the people of Omagh and the people of Ireland.
No, he is not the saviour and he cannot mend the broken hearts or the smashed bodies, he cannot turn back the clock and return Omagh to the gently flowing harmonious town it was for many years before August 15th.
What he can do, and what he has been doing since the beginning of his Presidency, is to continue working behind the scenes for lasting peace in Ireland. Mr. Clinton, more than any other American President, has reached out to the people of Ireland.
The President of the United States cannot and does not claim to be able to work miracles, but his visit to Omagh, ensures that the injured and the bereaved, the shocked and the maimed, will get their due recognition.
A step closer to peace
Just as one President brings goodwill and messages of support for the people of Omagh, another President, Gerry Adams, has brought a message of hope, not only to the people of Omagh, but to the people of Ireland as a whole. His statement, repudiating violence as a means to a political end, is of gargantuan importance to the peace process.
In the immediate aftermath of the bomb, a number of those who faced the unbearable prospect of burying their dead, intimated that they would endure the pain of bereavement a little easier if they knew that the Omagh atrocity was the last. The President of Sinn Fein's statement on Tuesday, brought the prospect of a permanent end to violence a step closer. In a commendable response, David Trimble announced that he would be calling a meeting with all of the political leaders, including Gerry Adams.
The likelihood of permanent peace was advanced further again by the announcement that Martin McGuinness would become Sinn Fein's liaison with General de Chastelain. The prospect of the IRA decommissioning is still some way off, but the news of the past few days is both encouraging and, universally welcomed, and could usher in an era of unprecedented democracy.
Open, full and inclusive dialogue is inevitable; the thinkers within the Ulster Unionist Party must ensure that the elected representatives of the nationalist and republican communities are accepted into government, on a fair and equal basis.
There are grounds for peace, real, meaningful and lasting peace, all parties, must go that extra mile must, if necessary, compromise that little bit more. It will not be easy, but it is now more than just a remote possibility and what better tribute to all of the victims of violence than real peace?
Those responsible for the Omagh bomb, have, ironically, ensured that, from their evil deeds some good has come. They are rejected entirely by all elements in our society, they have no support, no worth, and sooner rather than later, they will have no place to hide.
The President of the United States will walk through Omagh's heavily vetted streets today, it is a visit of tremendous importance, and has generated phenomenal interest. However, the reason for the visit must not be lost in the excited throng.
Omagh people were blown to bits in an act of carnage that will be remembered in infamy.
There were children killed before birth, there were others slain in their prams and there are youngsters that will forever live with torment, of missing parents, brothers, sisters and friends. There are parents, for whom the void left by the death of a child will never be filled. Husbands will grieve for wives, and wives for husbands until the day they die, that is the reality.
Yes, the President's visit is important, and the people of Omagh are right to welcome him. He is coming to share the grief of Omagh, it is a visit to a bomb site, to a graveyard, to meet those who have lost and suffered, those whose lives will never be the same again, it is not an occasion for celebration.
President Clinton's goodwill is important to the people of Omagh and the people of Ireland.
No, he is not the saviour and he cannot mend the broken hearts or the smashed bodies, he cannot turn back the clock and return Omagh to the gently flowing harmonious town it was for many years before August 15th.
What he can do, and what he has been doing since the beginning of his Presidency, is to continue working behind the scenes for lasting peace in Ireland. Mr. Clinton, more than any other American President, has reached out to the people of Ireland.
The President of the United States cannot and does not claim to be able to work miracles, but his visit to Omagh, ensures that the injured and the bereaved, the shocked and the maimed, will get their due recognition.
A step closer to peace
Just as one President brings goodwill and messages of support for the people of Omagh, another President, Gerry Adams, has brought a message of hope, not only to the people of Omagh, but to the people of Ireland as a whole. His statement, repudiating violence as a means to a political end, is of gargantuan importance to the peace process.
In the immediate aftermath of the bomb, a number of those who faced the unbearable prospect of burying their dead, intimated that they would endure the pain of bereavement a little easier if they knew that the Omagh atrocity was the last. The President of Sinn Fein's statement on Tuesday, brought the prospect of a permanent end to violence a step closer. In a commendable response, David Trimble announced that he would be calling a meeting with all of the political leaders, including Gerry Adams.
The likelihood of permanent peace was advanced further again by the announcement that Martin McGuinness would become Sinn Fein's liaison with General de Chastelain. The prospect of the IRA decommissioning is still some way off, but the news of the past few days is both encouraging and, universally welcomed, and could usher in an era of unprecedented democracy.
Open, full and inclusive dialogue is inevitable; the thinkers within the Ulster Unionist Party must ensure that the elected representatives of the nationalist and republican communities are accepted into government, on a fair and equal basis.
There are grounds for peace, real, meaningful and lasting peace, all parties, must go that extra mile must, if necessary, compromise that little bit more. It will not be easy, but it is now more than just a remote possibility and what better tribute to all of the victims of violence than real peace?
Those responsible for the Omagh bomb, have, ironically, ensured that, from their evil deeds some good has come. They are rejected entirely by all elements in our society, they have no support, no worth, and sooner rather than later, they will have no place to hide.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0269
Published Date: 03-Sep-98
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