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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1013/1224256510187.html
US SECRETARY of state Hillary Clinton made clear in Belfast yesterday that she hopes to see the speedy devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Executive.
Mrs Clinton, in an address to the Northern Assembly, said she was conscious of the difference between being supportive and meddling but nonetheless “as a true friend” she hoped Northern Ireland politicians would “complete the process of devolution”.
Her visit coincided with further movement on policing and justice with British prime minister Gordon Brown sending First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness written details of the financial package the British government will provide to support a Northern department of justice. The DUP officer board welcomed the proposals last night. Mr Brown is due to meet Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness for more talks on the issue this evening at Downing Street. “We believe the package would provide a sound underpinning for a department of justice,” said a senior British government source.
Mrs Clinton led a large US entourage to Belfast yesterday that included senior officials, leading US business people and her special economic envoy to Northern Ireland, Declan Kelly, for political, business and social events at Stormont, Queen’s University and Belfast City Hall.
There was no major US jobs announcement for Northern Ireland from Mrs Clinton yesterday, although she looked forward to new opportunities emerging in the future. Mr McGuinness when recently linking US investment with devolving policing and justice spoke of a potential imminent significant announcement on the jobs front from the US.
Mrs Clinton did not overtly make the investment-devolution of justice link but there was no doubting that she was following the line of the British and Irish governments, and of Sinn Féin, that the transfer of these powers should take place speedily and that this could lead to an American investment dividend. Policing and justice are understood to have featured prominently when Mrs Clinton held 90 minutes of talks at Stormont Castle.
She separately met senior DUP and Sinn Féin political delegations led respectively by Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness and Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, and then met the First Minister and Deputy First Minister together.
During the day Mrs Clinton spoke of how the political process was a journey that was not yet over. “I am here to send a strong message that the Obama administration is committed to supporting you as you continue your journey,” she said outside Stormont Castle.
Mr Robinson told her that politicians here were committed to the “long haul” of making politics work.
Mr McGuinness said this was a time for “facing up to the challenges that clearly face us”.
Mrs Clinton then addressed a packed Assembly chamber at nearby Parliament Buildings.
“Now, we know what it means to be supportive and we also know what it means to meddle,” she said in carefully crafted comments.
“And I want to be clear that when it comes to the important issue of devolution, of policing and justice, that is a decision for this assembly to make,” she added.
“But as a true friend, my hope is that you will achieve what you have set out to do, to complete the process of devolution.”
She encouraged the politicians to move forward with a spirit of unstoppable grit and resolve. “And I pledge that the United States will be behind you all the way, as you work toward peace and stability that lasts.”
The only controversial note came at the end of her Assembly speech. DUP MLAs Gregory Campbell and the Rev William McCrea, viewed as sceptical of the current powersharing arrangements, left the chamber as she was being accorded a standing ovation.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/1013/1224256509494.html
IN AN eloquent plea to Northern Ireland’s political leaders yesterday US secretary of state Hillary Clinton told them republican dissidents will take any opportunity to destabilise the power-sharing agreement. “Now they are watching this Assembly for signs of uncertainty or internal disagreement,” she warned. “They want to derail your confidence. And though they are small in number, their thuggish tactics and destructive ambitions threaten the security of every family in Northern Ireland. Moving ahead together with the process will leave them stranded on the wrong side of history.”
Her warning deserves to be taken very seriously indeed. Mrs Clinton’s decision to deliver it in person is a highly significant and positive indication of the Obama administration’s commitment to the peace process and its continuing success. Her desire to use it as a potential model for addressing other conflicts around the world is not only a tribute to the progress made so far but indicates a willingness to make it into an international resource that Ireland badly needs in these difficult times. This can benefit all the inhabitants of this island. There is a real danger that complacency about what has already been achieved and tactical efforts to postpone decisions on policing and justice until the next UK election will undermine that international goodwill.
Mrs Clinton is quite right to say that devolving these two key functions is “an absolutely essential milestone” in the peace process. Agreement on it has been reached in principle but implementation has been held up because key members of the Democratic Unionist Party do not trust Sinn Féin enough to see it through. It is widely believed First Minister Peter Robinson has made expensive demands on funding the transfer from London to gain time; but Gordon Brown’s visit to Belfast last week has eased that problem and increased the pressure for an early decision.
Earlier this year Mr Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness stood firmly together against provocative violence by the dissidents clearly designed to derail their confidence. Mr Robinson would serve his own people best by showing the courage to move on. Mrs Clinton was sensitive to his concerns yesterday when she said she did not want to meddle in the decision. But the plain message she conveyed is that it would be in Northern Ireland’s best interests to heed the views of all its international partners that devolving justice and policing would enhance political stability and reinforce public safety.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/row-flares-after-dup-duo-walk-out-during-clinton-ovation-14529121.html
By Lisa Smyth
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Two DUP MPs have been accused of letting Northern Ireland down after they walked out of the Assembly chamber during a standing ovation for Hillary Clinton.
Sinn Fein has asked for an apology from Gregory Campbell and Willie McCrea. The two politicians responded by denying that any snub was intended and instead insisted they left for another engagement.
The latest spat between Sinn Fein and the DUP came as the US Secretary of State called on political leaders here to broker a deal on the devolution of policing and justice.
The two senior DUP men, who have spoken out against a swift devolution of policing and justice powers, left the Assembly while other members were applauding Mrs Clinton.
Their actions will be seen by many as a sign that some elements within the DUP do not appreciate outside interference in Northern Ireland’s affairs.
But the early exits brought an angry response from Sinn Fein MLA Daithi McKay.
He said: “The behaviour of Willie McCrea and Gregory Campbell was nothing short of childish and was a direct insult to the Obama administration. Now, given the fact that the DUP continually emphasises the importance of foreign investment to the north, the behaviour of these two representatives serves only to undermine this.
“The DUP needs to publicly distance themselves from the actions of Messrs McCrea and Campbell who acted in a very unprofessional and discourteous manner not only toward Hillary Clinton but also toward their own party leader.”
However, Mr Campbell rejected the accusations, claiming he and Rev McCrea had other business to attend to. He did not specify what the other business was.
“The only immaturity that I sense is the tell-tale behaviour of David (Daithi) McKay,” he said. “Just like a child in the playground runs to the teacher and gives an inaccurate account of an event, so too has David given an inaccurate account of the proceedings in the Assembly. When the business had concluded both William and I withdrew from the Chamber as we had other important matters to deal with.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/world/europe/13diplo.html?em
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Fourteen years ago, Hillary Rodham Clinton stood next to her husband in this weary, strife-torn city as a crowd of 70,000 gathered to watch President Bill Clinton light a Christmas tree.
On Monday, Mrs. Clinton, now the secretary of state, addressed a more select audience, 100 lawmakers, in the imposing chamber of Northern Ireland’s Stormont assembly — exhorting them to stick with a peace process that the Clintons have made something of a family project.
It is a project in need of repair, with the historic power-sharing arrangement between Protestants and Catholics showing signs of strain because of a dispute over local control of the police and the courts.
“No one ever said it was going to be easy,” Mrs. Clinton said in a speech that was both a pep talk and a personal intervention. “It is not easy in any legislature, as I know from experience, under the best of circumstances.”
Mrs. Clinton is one of the first senior foreign government officials invited to speak at Stormont, and she recalled the role of Mr. Clinton in championing the negotiations that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, opening the way for the restoration of this legislature.
In the horseshoe-shaped benches before her sat two of the most implacable foes from the era known as the Troubles: Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein, a party once closely linked to the Irish Republican Army; and the Rev. Ian Paisley, the strident loyalist who rallied the unionists.
“I know the divisions within Northern Ireland are not fully healed,” Mrs. Clinton said, citing Belfast’s still-segregated neighborhoods. “But given time, and given the leadership that each of you can provide, the torn fabric of society will be woven together, stitch by stitch, choice by choice.”
Northern Ireland, she said, serves as a model for peacemaking everywhere in the world, and indeed, George J. Mitchell, now the Obama administration’s Middle East envoy, helped broker the Good Friday Agreement.
Some of those gains, however, are now at risk. The standoff between Catholic and Protestant leaders over transferring authority over the police and the courts to Belfast from London — which is partly about money and partly about politics — could stall the process of devolving power to Northern Ireland.
Security is an issue, too. Last March, two British soldiers and a policeman were killed in politically motivated shootings that spooked a country where sectarian violence had seemed a relic of a darker time.
Mrs. Clinton said the United States did not want to meddle — a line that drew a chorus of “hear, hear” from the unionist side of the chamber — but she gently prodded both sides to settle their differences.
“My hope is that you will achieve what you set out to do, to complete the process of devolution,” she said.
The speech was one of the most heartfelt Mrs. Clinton has delivered as secretary of state, peppered with reminiscences about the 1995 tree-lighting ceremony and five subsequent trips to Belfast.
Mrs. Clinton received thumping applause from the Catholic side of the chamber but a more restrained reception from the Protestant side. The Democratic Unionist Party, worried about weakening links to Britain, is resisting the plan to transfer authority for the police and the courts.
Martin McGuinness, the Catholic deputy first minister, who supports the transfer, hailed the speech. “Quite clearly, Secretary Clinton is intellectually, emotionally and politically engaged in the process,” said Mr. McGuinness, who was once an I.R.A. commander.
Peter Robinson, the Protestant first minister and a former deputy to Mr. Paisley, said, “To make any speech in the Northern Ireland assembly and no one walks out — that’s an achievement.” In fact, a few unionists slipped out just after the address, skipping the standing ovation.
Later, Mrs. Clinton met with businesspeople to discuss ways to increase American investment in Northern Ireland. She announced that NaviNet, a health care communications company based in Cambridge, Mass., would open a research and development center in Belfast, creating 60 jobs.
The State Department has named an economic envoy to Northern Ireland, Declan Kelly, and he was on hand to drum up more business. Mrs. Clinton said the political tensions should not deter investors, though she noted that peace and economic prosperity went “hand in hand.”
After a stop at Belfast’s Victorian city hall, where the tree-lighting occurred, Mrs. Clinton left for a two-day visit to Moscow.
The United States is still trying to corral Russian support for tougher sanctions against Iran if it refuses to negotiate over its nuclear program. And it wants to work out details of a new agreement that will allow American planes carrying combat-related material for Afghanistan to fly over Russian territory.
On Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton is to meet President Dmitri A. Medvedev, who has invited her to his dacha outside Moscow. The United States hopes the “more relaxed setting” will help the conversation, said Philip H. Gordon, the assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasian affairs.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/10/130489.htm
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Stormont Castle, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
October 12, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning. It is such a pleasure to be back in Belfast, and to see so many old friends. I want to thank First Minister Robinson and Deputy First Minister McGuinness for their welcome, and for our productive meetings today.
I have had the honor of hosting them in both Washington and New York this year, so I am very pleased that I could repay their visits by coming to Belfast. It is a short visit, but it is filled to the brim. I am looking forward in a few minutes to addressing the Stormont Assembly. I am grateful for this great honor, to congratulate the people of Northern Ireland on their remarkable accomplishments over the last decade, and to talk about the road ahead.
There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Northern Ireland has come a long way. Old enemies are working together to build a stable, prosperous future. And I have seen firsthand how you have become a model for conflict resolution and reconciliation around the world. I hear that in my travels; people who are determined to choose peace and progress over violence and division look toward you. And I am here today to send a strong message that the Obama administration and the United States are committed to supporting you, as you continue your journey.
I am looking forward to helping reopen the Belfast City Hall, a symbol of this city's rebirth, later today. I will see leaders and peace activists, who have become dear friends over the years. We have walked together, especially including the Women of Vital Voices.
I will also be talking with business leaders about the dividends created by the progress you've made, and the opportunities that will come as investors gain even greater confidence in the long-term stability of Northern Ireland. This was an important part of my conversation with both the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister.
I have brought with me our new economic envoy, Declan Kelly, who is already hard at work, fostering economic ties. The United States stands ready to help in any way we can. Our two peoples are bound together by both historic and ancestral ties nurtured by friendships and partnerships. Both my husband and I feel a special bond with this land. And, as Secretary of State, I am committed to continuing to offer a hand of friendship and partnership.
It is a great honor for me to be with you, and to have this chance once again to meet with both Peter and Martin, and to work together to consolidate the progress of the past, and to help build a new foundation for a future of peace and prosperity. Thank you.
FIRST MINISTER ROBINSON: Thank you very much, Secretary Clinton. We are hugely indebted to Secretary Clinton for her visit today, and for the very long period when she has actively shown an interest in Northern Ireland. Secretary Clinton is right to say that we have come a long way. What we are doing, of course, is not (inaudible) destination. Like any (inaudible), we must continue the journey. We intend to do that.
You will see for yourselves that, even from your last visit, those who have come from the United States, that even the weather is better in Northern Ireland now. We have made real progress in setting up our administration. We have made more decisions in our executive than our predecessors did, and we have done it in a shorter period of time.
Of course, there are difficulties. But I believe that we are committed to making it work. We are committed to the long haul. We are committed to overcome the problems that we will face. And we are very grateful for the assistance that we have had from the United State -- from this and, indeed, from particularly the two previous administrations.
We are delighted that the ambassador is with us today. And you will note the possessive word "our" economic advisor, Declan Kelly, who has rolled his sleeves up, and he has been dying to work immediately, and we enjoy working with him. And he inspires us with his own drive and enthusiasm.
So, you are very welcome, Secretary Clinton. It is good to have you back in Northern Ireland. You have given us an opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland. And we will have the opportunity to do that to investors as your visit continues. Thank you.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Peter.
DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER MCGUINNESS: I would like to say the heartiest cead mile failte to Secretary Clinton. It is absolutely wonderful that you are with us here in Belfast today. Hillary Clinton has been a true friend to all of us, back over 15 years. And her continual intellectual and emotional and political engagement with us is something that has been to our enormous benefit over all of that time.
I believe that we are a society moving forward to a destination of equality and partnership. And you have been with us every step of the way, as have the two previous administrations.
We do face, as Peter has said, huge challenges in the time ahead. Yes, we have had many accomplishments over the course of recent times, but this is not a time for complacency. This is a time for recognizing the great achievements, but facing them through challenges which clearly face us.
And there are many challenges, because there are people out there within the political process and outside of the political process -- and some of them spoke yesterday in a most welcome fashion, when the recognized the futility of continued violence in our society -- (inaudible) to put down their guns, and recognize that the best way forward is through purely political and democratic means.
So, I believe that our process is working. I believe it can work much better if we work in a spirit of equality and partnership, and press on to face and overcome the challenges which are clearly before us.
On the economic front, we are absolutely inspired by Secretary Clinton's appointment of Declan Kelly as the economic advisor. And we believe that there will be good news stories, even within days, on that front, because economic development we have put as the major issue in our program for government.
And it is very important to reach out to those people who suffer inequality, social deprivation, and disadvantage, those people who face the battles in a daily way against sectarianism and racism within our society. And I believe that, together, Ourselves, the Democratic Unionist Party, the Ulster Unionist Party, and the SDLP, the Alliance Party, the Progressive Unionist Party, the Greens, all those parties represented in the Assembly, will continue to work together, and do so in a way that will deliver. Because delivery is the key word. Deliver leadership, but most importantly, deliver results for the people who matter most, and that is the people who are right there, who are depending on the continued success of what is undoubtedly one of the most successful peace processes in the world today.
So, thank you for coming. Thanks for all of your contributions. And we look forward to a long and very prosperous relationship in the economic front, working with the U.S. in the time ahead. Go raibh ma agat.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you
http://www.iais.org/
10/12/09 14:11 EST
Details of the financial package for the devolution of policing and justice in Northern Ireland have been seen by Police Chief Constable Matt Baggott, a Sinn Fein source has said.
Chief Constable Baggott
The source also said that the British government's offer has also been revealed to David Lavery, director of the NI Court Service.
Earlier, the DUP said it had received the British prime minister's proposals.
A statement from the DUP said the party was encouraged that the issues they had raised were being addressed.
Our editor said: "It is understood the offer includes a commitment to complete the police training college in Cookstown and to transfer additional military bases to the Northern Ireland Executive, including the Lisanelly base in Omagh, which has been earmarked for an educational campus."
Sinn Fein's officer board is expected to give a more formal response to the Gordon Brown's offer after a meeting in Dublin on Tuesday.
http://www.rsfcork.com/currentnews.htm
The appearance of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Stormont is an unwelcome one, a spokesperson for Republican Sinn Féin has said.
“It is clear that her presence here is to pre-empt devolution of Westminster powers over 'policing and justice' to Stormont,” he said. “Any transfer of British powers over so-called 'policing and justice' will have no real effect. Indeed the Stormonteers charged with overseeing this – especially the Provisionals – will go out of their way to demonstrate their loyalty to so-called 'British justice'.
“And for the United States to claim that it holds any moral high ground in terms of spreading peace and democracy is frankly laughable.
“Whilst Mrs. Clinton claims that Irish Republicans 'threaten the security of every family' here, the reality is that both the USA and the Brits threaten the security of the entire world. The best contribution she could make to Ireland is to pack her bags and go home.”
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/end-of-road-for-billy-goats-14528401.html
For years, the DUP and Sinn Fein, like billy goats on adjacent hilltops, have posed and challenged each other. All sound and fury, but no real engagement. Now in the same paddock, hobbled and coupled together, they are unable even to head-butt each other, never mind anyone else.
They have no option but to exercise minimum co-operation, just to share a mouthful of grass.
Like bulls in china shops, or cows in bog holes, it is an unnaturally awkward situation.
The billy goats' instincts, and only reason for existence, are to make mischief and father other goats. Unnaturally coupled together, they can do neither.
Unless freed to return to posing on their separate hilltops they will become extinct.
Is this the endgame for the DUP and Sinn Fein?
BRIAN ROONEY
Downpatrick
Updated: 11/5/2009
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