Northern Ireland
Documents & Texts from America.gov
17 March 2009
Secretary Clinton Remarks With Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
 Secretary Clinton with Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson (left) and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (right)
Photo: Michael Gross
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon. Well, I am very pleased to be here this afternoon with two men who have really proven what leadership means and demonstrated clearly courage and commitment: First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
I want to begin by saying how pleased I am personally to welcome them here. I have known Peter and Martin for a number of years and have seen them take responsibility for the future of the people
of Northern Ireland in a way that has inspired confidence and created
a real opportunity for people not only in the United States, but
around the world to look to Northern Ireland and to see the progress
there. Of course, it's St. Patrick's Day and they are here on this
occasion, but they are no strangers to either Washington or the
State Department. And I know how important our relationship is to
continue to support those who work for peace.
In addition to the discussion that I just concluded with the first
minister and the deputy first minister, I have had excellent conversations
with others as well who you have seen starting yesterday and continuing
through today.
U.S. Secretary of State Clinton speaks with with Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson (left) and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness following their meeting.
Photo: Michael Gross |
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Northern Ireland has made such remarkable progress since the signing
of the Good Friday Accord. We've had more than a decade of peace
and progress and prosperity for many. Recent acts of violence cannot
be allowed to undermine that progress and the progress that is yet
to come as these two leaders and those who work with them continue
to move into the future. The violence that has occurred with the
killing of the two young soldiers and the police officer are an
affront to the values of every community, every person who believes
in the power of peace and reconciliation.
The two men standing on either side of me led Northern Ireland through
the last days in a commendable mann er. Along with the governments
of Ireland and the United Kingdom, they have confronted these acts
of violence with boldness and statesmanship. And they have responded
to actions intended to sow fear and division with unity and courage.
So we are here after ten years of peace, and we're committed to
looking forward to a future where we, the United States, working
with them, can create a better life so that every child growing
up in Northern Ireland has a chance to live up to his or her God-given
potential.
The State Department and the Obama Administration will be actively
engaged in assisting the leadership of Northern Ireland. And this
is not a subject of passing interest, but of surpassing interest.
During my time as First Lady, during my time as senator from New
York, I have been privileged to see the people of Northern Ireland
move in a direction that has given so much hope to so many, including
those far beyond their own boundaries.
So I want to thank the first minister and the deputy first ministe
r, and now let me turn to the first minister for any comments he
wishes to make.
FIRST MINISTER ROBINSON: Thank you very much. At the very outset,
I want to express my appreciation and the appreciation of all of
the people of Northern Ireland to Secretary Clinton. Hillary has
been a good friend of Northern Ireland, a great friend of the process
in which we have been involved. We were delighted to hear in our
meeting which has just concluded that that is going to be an ongoing
interest. We're looking for excuses to bring her to Northern Ireland,
and we're delighted to hear that the Obama Administration is looking
to bring an envoy to continue to partner with us, and indeed to
have a particular emphasis with someone looking after the issue
of the economy.
The deputy first minister and I have had a difficult period of time.
I think that anybody who has followed recent events will know that
there was a single purpose on the part of tho se who carried out
those dreadful acts. They intended to divide us. Th ey intended
to drag Northern Ireland back into conflict. Their hopes were that
the work of the politicians in the assembly and in the executive
would begin to fray and that the institutions would crumble and
fall.
They have not succeeded, and they will not succeed. There is a massive
determination, not just on the part of the deputy first minister
and myself, but I was delighted to see it from every single political
party. There was no party political bickering on the issue. Every
politician stepped up to the line and made it clear their denunciation
of the incidents and also their determination that they were not
going back.
It is that determination not simply not to go back or to stand still,
but to drive us forward, to complete the tasks that we have set
our hand to, and to bring Northern Ireland to that place where it
has a stable political and economic future, where prosperity is
a daily diet of our people. It is that hope that drives us forward,
and it is that hope that I believe we have the full support of the
people of Northern Ireland in realizing.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much.
DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER MCGUINNESS: Well, if I could say that it's
an incredible good fortune for all of us on the island of Ireland
and the north that Hillary Clinton has been appointed the new Secretary
of State. She has for many, many years, alongside her husband, been
a true friend of all of us, a true friend of the peace process,
contributing tremendously to the transformation that has taken place
over the course of the last number of years. And what has been really
encouraging about this visit and the meeting that we've just come
from is that it's quite clear that she is surrounded by people who
have a tremendous insight into our situation, going back many, many
years. I find that tremendously encouraging, and we're excited about
our meeting with President Obama th is morning and the things we
heard from him and his reiteration of his commitment to help us
within the process, continuing, I must say, a long line of important
contributions from the United States of America.
And what we've heard just now in the course of our meeting with
Secretary Clinton further encourages us that we will see the appointment
of an envoy who will make their own particular contribution, also
following in a long line of envoys who have been tremendously supportive
for all of us.
And we talked about the economy because we believe that economic
development is of critical importance, and our program for government
identified the development of the economy as a key priority for
all of us. And there has been a long tradition of American companies
investing on the island of Ireland and in the north of Ireland,
and our visit here and the West Coast, and we've been to Los Angeles,
Peter's been to Chicago, I've been to New York, and we're now in
Washington. Everywhere we went, it was quite clear that people were
very tuned in to what had happened in our country and indeed at
the time of those incidents were very shocked that it did happen.
But that shock quickly gave way to a bigger story, and the bigger
story was the unity which Peter has just spoken about, not just
between himself and myself, but between all of the parties recognizing
that this represented a real challenge to our process by people
who are dedicated to destroy the peace process, dedicated to the
demolition of the political institutions, and absolutely dedicated
to plunging our community. And we don't speak about two communities.
We represent - although we represent different parties, we represent
one community in the north of Ireland, and we are not going to allow
our community to be plunged into mayhem and destruction by people
who have no support, no mandate whatsoever, and no right whatsoever
to attack the peace that the people of Ireland as a whole and in
the north voted for in the referendum in the aftermath of the Good
Friday upheaval.
So I'm actually moving forward on all of this with tremendous confidence
about the future, confidence in that we are united, that we are
supported by the Irish Government and the British Government, and
by a very strong Administration here in the United States of America
led by President Obama and Hillary Clinton. So we will leave Washington
incredibly buoyed up by the encouragement and support that we've
received here, and I want to express my deepest thanks and appreciation
to you, Hillary, and to President Obama and all those in all of
the political parties on Capitol Hill who have stood by us through
thick and thin.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, there are predictions of really catastrophic
conditions in Darfur because of the president of Sudan's expulsion
of aid groups and apparent intention to shut them down completely.
And I'm wondering what can the i nternational community do about
this. Will this in any way speed the appointment of another special
envoy, a U.S. envoy to Sudan?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we have been deeply engaged in determining
what we can do, because this is a horrendous situation that is going
to cause untold misery and suffering for the people of Darfur, particularly
those in the refugee camps. There will be a special envoy appointed
for Sudan in the coming days. But the real question is what kind
of pressure can be brought to bear on President Bashir and the government
in Khartoum to understand that they will be held responsible for
every single death that occurs in those camps, because by their
expulsion of the aid workers, who came from all over the world to
assist with the health and the sanitation and the security and the
education of the refugees, they are putting those 1.4 million lives
at risk.
And for those governments that support President Bashir's dec ision
to expel the aid workers, they have a responsibility to persuade
the government in Sudan to change its decision to let the aid workers
back in, or they must replace with money and personnel those who
have been expelled, so that innocent lives are not lost and further
undermined.
So we take this very seriously. We are looking for the most effective
ways to convince and demonstrate to the Government of Sudan that
they have now assumed an even greater sense of responsibility and
infamy in the eyes of the world by turning their backs on these
refugees whom they created in the first place. So we hope that either
by the internal processes of the Sudanese Government or pressure
brought to bear by the supporters of President Bashir and that government,
the decision is reversed, or at the very least, the money and the
personnel are replaced.
MODERATOR: (Inaudible) from the Belfast Telegraph.
QUESTION: Thank you. This is a question for Madame Secretary and
also the first and deputy first min isters.
Madame Secretary, as my colleague pointed out, there are many serious
problems in the world. Northern Ireland has enjoyed top-level attention
from the White House for many years now. When Barack Obama was running
against John McCain, he indicated that he may revisit the appointing
of an envoy. How long can the White House, in the highest levels
of the U.S. Government, stay engaged in Northern Ireland? Will there
be a time when they will not?
And to the first and deputy first ministers, you are here on an
economic investment journey to try to find companies that will invest
in Northern Ireland. The global economy right now is in a very serious
state. How contingent on economic progress and stability is political
stability in Northern Ireland?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as to your first question, we waited until
we had the opportunity to consult with the leaders of Northern Ireland
and of the Republic of Ireland about the best way to structure our
relationship going forward. And it has been a un animous agreement
that having this high-level attention from the United States Government
provides a real value to the ongoing peace process and to the economic
aspects of, you know, anchoring peace in the soil where people can
actually see the fruits of that effort.
So we will be appointing a special envoy. We'll be appointing someone
who will pay attention to the economic investment side of this.
You know, there's a great sense of affinity between the United States
and the Irish, and it's something that I take very personally as
well as professionally as part of my responsibilities. It's not
only that we have many millions - about 44 million, which I think
is an undercount - of Irish Americans, but it is the fact that we
formed this deep relationship. And we are there to help; we're not
there to do anything other than support the decisions that these
extraordinary leaders make.
But if we are needed, if we p rovide value, we will continue to
support this process. It is gaining strength every day. As both
Peter and Martin said, the reaction not just by the leaders, but
the people in Northern Ireland to the murders last week demonstrated
how firmly anchored peace is. But there are still some bumps along
the road.
And before I turn to Peter to answer your second question, you know,
the Northern Ireland economy is doing better than a lot of economies
right now, so I think it is quite attractive for people who understand
that we will work our way through this global economic crisis we're
in right now, and there will be opportunities for investments. And
I think Peter and Martin are absolutely right to be out talking
about the advantages of investing in Northern Ireland right now.
FIRST MINISTER ROBINSON: Secretary Clinton is right. Northern Ireland
does have a deep and special relationship with the United States
as part of a secret deal. The de al is that as we have supplied
you with 15 presidents that we will con tinue to do that. (Laughter.)
And we continue to get support from the leadership of the United
States. It's working well for both of us, I think. The economy of
Northern Ireland is critical and is critical to the overall process
in which we're engaged. We want to be able to show people that having
local control can make a difference. And it only makes a difference
to them if they feel it themselves. And therefore, it has to be
able to - raise everybody hopes, it has to get into every section
of our community. And the economy is the one way that you can do
that, you can make people feel better, you can make people feel
that this is working.
Of course, we, relatively speaking, are weathering the economic
storm better than many. And we have an unemployment rate to which
I think most European countries and the United States would be happy
with, at just about 5 percent. But we want to go up the food chain
in terms of the type of jobs th at we have in Northern Ireland.
And we're looking at high-end engineering, financial and businesses
services, IT, creative industries. Those are the areas that we are
wanting to grow in Northern Ireland. And we can provide businesses
in the United States, even in these hard times, with a good reason
to come to Northern Ireland, where you get the highest skills at
the lowest cost.
So yeah, we do want to improve our economy. It's important for the
overall process. And we believe that the United States has something
that it can give Northern Ireland, but Northern Ireland has something
that it can give back.
DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER MCGUINNESS: Well, I think it is very important
that people benefit from the fruits of the peace process. And reiterating
what Peter said, our relationship with the United States of America
is rock solid. We have connections going back here centuries, and
the bonds between us are very strong. And I believe th at in the
future, we will continue to see investment from the United S tates
of America and the island of Ireland and specifically also in the
North. And Peter and I have been tremendously encouraged by the
messages that we've had over the course of the last short while.
In terms of the whole issue of the connection between the economic
situation and the issue of political stability, let me say this.
The institutions are, in my opinion, stronger and more stable now
in the aftermath of the three killings than they were before. And
that should send a very powerful message to those who people who
were responsible for those killings. And the message is that we
are not going to buckle under this pressure, but we are going to
continue to do our jobs, knowing that we have got the overwhelming
support of our people, people who too want to benefit for their
own sakes, for the sakes of their children, and those yet unborn.
So this is about providing a better future and a better history
and this is about recognizing the dam age that was done to our Island
and to ourselves as individuals by the past that some of us have
experienced. So what we have to do is - the key point is to give
leadership. That's what it's all about.
I attended two very important conferences in a forest in Helsinki,
alongside Jeffery Donaldson of the Democratic Unionist Party, alongside
Cyril Ramaphosa from South Africa and Roelf Meyer. And there were
many white boards and there were many black boards in attendance.
And many words were written on the boards and many words were spoken.
I wrote one word on the board when I addressed the Kurds, the Shia
and the Sunnis, and that word was "leadership." That's
what is required in the north of Ireland, that's what's required
in the Middle East, that's what's required in Iraq, that's what's
required in Afghanistan and in many other places throughout the
world.
The benefit we had was that we had leaders who understood the need
to forge an agreement, who didn't want to be part of a process that
saw the misery of the past inflected on future generations. And
so I think - I would like to think that we have given strong leadership
and that we have given a very powerful message - not just to our
own people on the island of Ireland or in the North, but to the
world - that the only way forward in situations where there is conflict
and dispute is to sit down like sensible, reasonable human beings,
forge agreements, and we have done that.
I mean, people have said to me, for example, what is different now
in relation to what these people are doing and at a time whenever
the IRA were involved in a conflict, which I supported, against
the British Army? The difference is we have the Good Friday Agreement.
The difference is we have all of the parties coming together, forming
an inclusive government supported by the Irish Government, supported
by the British Government and the U.S. Administration and the full
width of international opinion, but more important than all of that,
supported by the people, by ordinary housewives, workers, parents,
people who have invested a tremendous amount and us as politicians,
to give strong leadership and build a better future for them and
for their children.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much. Thank you all.
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