Remarks with Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin After Their Meeting
Press Availability
Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
March 16, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Good afternoon. Well, I am delighted to welcome the foreign minister
here today. I know this comes a little early, but, Minister Martin, I
wish you and the people of Ireland and all people who are connected to
the wonderful Irish history and traditions a very happy St. Patrick’s
Day.
I had the great honor of representing a very large Irish
American citizenry in New York for eight years, and I know well the
contributions that Ireland and Irish Americans have made to the United
States. They’re so numerous, they’re impossible to quantify. And indeed,
we now have a President and a Vice President who trace some of their
family roots back to Ireland.
So I am grateful that the
foreign minister could join us here today ahead of the holiday tomorrow
to acknowledge both the history and friendship that we share, but also
the working relationship that we have enjoyed on a number of important
issues that are really significant to both the people of Ireland and to
Americans.
I told the foreign minister how much we appreciate
that strong partnership. And we discussed and had a very productive
meeting about a range of issues. Our countries share a vital economic
relationship that has created tens of thousands of jobs in Ireland and
the United States. We need to coordinate closely to preserve those
benefits in the face of global economic challenges.
Ireland
also makes significant contributions to global security. Over 800
troops, 10 percent of the country’s armed forces, are currently deployed
overseas on peacekeeping missions in Chad, Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan,
and other countries.
And on the subject of conflict
prevention, I want to address the recent events in Northern Ireland. As
many of you know, this is an issue of great personal concern and
commitment to both me and to my husband. It was an honor to work on
behalf of peace in Northern Ireland and to do so with the leadership of
Senator George Mitchell as our negotiator. I had the privilege of
visiting Northern Ireland numerous times to meet with activists from
both communities. I spent a lot of time in particular with women,
Catholic and Protestant, who were working to build bridges in their own
communities, to find common ground as mothers and wives, and to create
conditions for peace from the ground up.
Thanks to the brave
efforts of government leaders and community activists like the women
that I was privileged to know, the people of Northern Ireland, with the
strong support of the Government of Ireland and the Government of Great
Britain, reached a peace agreement, the Good Friday Agreement, that has
delivered more than a decade of calm and progress.
Now, in
recent days, a handful of rejectionists have tried to drag the people of
Northern Ireland back into a full cycle of violence and retaliation.
The recent attacks which killed two British soldiers and a police
officer are an affront to the values of every community, every
ethnicity, every religion, and every nation that seeks peace. I want to
commend the entire leadership of Northern Ireland as well as the Irish
and British governments for their constructive statements and their
strong resolve in the face of this attack.
I hope that the
recent arrests will bring an end to these tragic events and allow the
people of Northern Ireland to continue to move forward not only with the
important work of reconciliation, but with prosperity and progress that
will redound to the benefit of all. The success of the peace process
has consequences that go far beyond Northern Ireland. It provides proof
to people everywhere that negotiations, dialogue, reconciliation,
diplomacy can end conflicts that have tormented generations. The United
States stand with the people of Northern Ireland. We will not let
criminals destroy the gains that have been achieved through great
courage and sacrifice.
Now, this issue is, of course, only a
small facet of our relationship with Ireland. Whether it is supporting
the Middle East peace process; strengthening democratic institutions in
Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Western Balkans; promoting human rights;
finding solutions to the global financial crisis and climate change;
working together on development, we know Ireland is and will remain a
strong and steady partner and leader. We share responsibilities, a
common agenda, and a proud history.
So Minister Martin, I am
grateful for your friendship and for the friendship that you represent
on behalf of your country, and I look forward to working with you as we
address these and other challenges. FOREIGN MINISTER MARTIN:
Thank you very much indeed, Secretary of State, and may I say that it’s
a particular pleasure for me and indeed a privilege to be here with you
and to have the opportunity to have our first bilateral meeting here in
Washington.
I think you will agree that our meeting was
substantive, it was productive, and very fruitful. And indeed, I, of
course, congratulated Secretary of State Clinton on her recent
appointment and, of course, said all of us in Ireland look forward to
working with you in the months and indeed in the years ahead.
It
is especially appropriate that the meeting should take place on the eve
of St. Patrick’s Day, when Ireland again has been honored so warmly
here in Washington. And indeed there’s a special bond of friendship
between Ireland and the United States, and again this is reflected, I
think, in the very generous way in which St. Patrick’s Day has been
celebrated here today and tomorrow in Washington and indeed across the
United States itself.
Secretary Clinton has been an
extraordinary friend of Ireland and continues to be. For many years
you’ve played a key role in our peace process, as you’ve just
articulated, and you’ve been a frequent visitor to Ireland over the
years. Your engagement at a political and civic level, particularly in
terms of developing political awareness among women’s groups in Northern
Ireland, was particularly important and earned you the greatest respect
on the island of Ireland and indeed amongst our Irish American
community here in the United States. And of course, we look forward very
much indeed to welcoming you to Ireland for an official visit at an
early opportunity.
In addition to that, we did discuss, of
course, the situation in Northern Ireland, including the tragic events
of last – of the past week, when three lives were needlessly and
senselessly lost as a result of unacceptable and criminal attacks by
dissidents. We – what has emerged from the past week, as I spoke and
discussed with Secretary Clinton, has been a very strong unity of
purpose from both the Irish and the British Government and indeed from
all of the political parties on the island of Ireland. It has
demonstrated a very significant unity of purpose in ensuring that we
will never go back to the bad old days and that we’re very anxious to
build on the political momentum and develop very strong political
structures and community structures to ensure the continuation and the
enhancement of the extraordinary achievements of the past ten years. And
of course, America has been particularly important in relation to those
achievements.
In terms of the ongoing bilateral relationship
that we – Secretary Clinton has expressed interest in the new strategic
framework that the Taoiseach announced last evening, which will in many
ways be the framework for the development of our relationship with the
United States in the decades ahead. And we want to work on quite a
number of those issues into the future, not least in developing
bilateral frameworks whereby young Irish people can come to America and
indeed young Americans can come to Ireland to work and to study and to
learn more about each other’s cultures and experiences. And in that
context, we look forward to working bilaterally on issues such as
development and other issues where we can add value to the world by
working in partnership.
I wish to pay tribute to Secretary
Clinton’s intensive engagement with the international community over the
past few weeks. We look forward to the United States assuming a strong
and progressive global leadership role in the years ahead. And already
within the European Union community, there is strong anticipation,
excited anticipation about the relationship that will develop across the
Atlantic between the European Union and indeed the United States.
We’ve
discussed, as the Secretary of State said, issues pertaining to the
Middle East, to Afghanistan, to global economic downturn, and
developments within the European Union itself. We welcome your very
energetic engagement in the pursuit of a comprehensive peace settlement
in the Middle East. And of course, we were particularly warm in our
welcome of the appointment of Senator George Mitchell as Middle East
envoy, a person who did an enormous amount of work for Ireland in
developing the peace process back in Ireland. And anywhere we’ve gone in
the Middle East, we have made it very clear a man of integrity, a man
of fairness, and a man who listens has been appointed to a very
sensitive post. And that speaks volumes in terms of your commitment to
the resolution of that issue. And indeed, if we can be of any assistance
in that regard, given our own experiences, we’re only too willing to
provide such assistance.
We look forward to tomorrow, St.
Patrick’s Day. I was intrigued by the Secretary of State Clinton’s
memories of the capacity of the Irish to party in a unique way –
(laughter) – and she interrogated the Ambassador in terms of where the
real parties were going to be tomorrow evening. (Laughter.) And I think,
you know, we’re looking forward to it, and the Taoiseach – and the
meeting between President Obama and the Taoiseach tomorrow as well,
which of course is the highlight of the remarkable celebration of our
national day in the United States. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Minister Martin. MR. WOOD: We’ll take a couple of questions. The first one is to Elise Labott of CNN. QUESTION:
Thank you, Madame Secretary. On Pakistan, I’d like to talk to you about
your message to Pakistan over the weekend, which certainly seemed to
help, at least, calm the situation. What sort of pressure did you apply
to Pakistan? Did you warn that Congress may not be forthcoming with aid
if the political turmoil continues? And given the political turmoil, can
you say that the government is stable and are you concerned that it’s
distracted from the very important task at hand at fighting the war on
terrorism? Thank you. SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, of
course, the Pakistanis themselves resolved the difficulties that were
manifest over the last several days. The work that was done by our
Ambassador Anne Patterson and the Embassy staff, along with our Special
Representative Richard Holbrooke and his staff, was, I think, very
helpful in both working with the Pakistani leaders themselves and in
keeping our government informed. I did speak with both President Zardari
and Nawaz Sharif. And I believe that the resolution that they have
agreed upon is the first step of what has to be an ongoing
reconciliation and compromising of political views that can stabilize
civilian democracy and the rule of law, both of which are essential to
the efforts that the Pakistanis themselves see as so critical; namely,
preventing extremism and violence from stalking the Pakistani people and
the country.
So we are going to continue our very close
working relationship with the government and a number of Pakistani
leaders in the days and weeks ahead. We have another trilateral meeting
scheduled a few months off. So there will be an ongoing effort to make
our services available and to help the Pakistanis fight against our
common enemy. QUESTION: Are you worried that (inaudible)? SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think they understand what’s at stake.
MODERATOR: Last question is from Denis Staunton of the Irish Times. SECRETARY CLINTON: Denis, how are you? QUESTION:
Very well. Thank you, Madame Secretary. The Administration has asked a
number of European countries, including Ireland, to help with the
resettlement of detainees in Guantanamo Bay. I wanted to ask you, first,
how important is our help with that issue? And secondly, what would you
say to European citizens who say that Guantanamo was an American
creation that most Europeans didn’t approve of, and that the United
States really has the responsibility to resolve the problems it created? SECRETARY CLINTON:
Well, the President has made it clear that we will close Guantanamo.
That is a position that was widely advocated by Europeans, both European
governments and the EU, as well as European citizens from, I guess,
every country. We believe that that is the right step for the United
States to take, and we are going through our process now to evaluate the
disposition with respect to each detainee.
But it is clear
that we will need help because many of the detainees cannot safely, for
themselves or others, be sent back to the countries from which they
came. There are some countries that have made it very clear if the
detainees are returned that they will face consequences; imprisonment,
for example. So we need help to avoid the human rights problems that
might arise with the release and resettlement of the detainees. And we
are trying to do the best we can with the problem that we inherited, and
that certainly is something that Europe, from one end to the other,
called upon us to do. So we would hope to have the cooperation of
European governments. FOREIGN MINISTER MARTIN: First of
all, we warmly welcomed the decision to close Guantanamo, and indeed
Ireland was one of the first countries out calling for its closure. And
it has been welcomed warmly across the European Union. And as I have
said, and I’m on the record publicly as saying, that given the fact that
we called for the closure of Guantanamo, we have – there’s a compelling
logic to being responsive to the situation and to see what – where we
can help in – within the context of the European Union as well, because
we do believe that Europe is working on this at the moment, and I
understand that the European Union is engaged with the Administration in
terms of information and so on. And I know it will be the subject
matter of discussions perhaps tomorrow as well between the President and
the Taoiseach, so I’m not going to preempt anything the Taoiseach may
say.
But we’re a friend of America and we will respond to the
issues as they emerge. And we’ve made it clear that we want to be
positive in our engagement on this issue with the Administration. SECRETARY CLINTON: We appreciate that. MR. WOOD: Thank you all very much. SECRETARY CLINTON: One – you want one more on each side? MR. WOOD: Sure. SECRETARY CLINTON: Yeah, okay. QUESTION:
Madame Secretary, how do you respond to criticism from Senators McCain
and Graham and Brownback that Chris Hill is – does not have the
experience necessary to become ambassador in Baghdad? He doesn’t have
the experience in the Arab countries. And they also allege that he
doesn’t have the negotiating skills necessary, and they point to the
recent deadlock in the negotiations with North Korea as an example. SECRETARY CLINTON:
Well, obviously, I think both of those criticisms are unjustified and
unfounded. Chris Hill is a distinguished, experienced diplomat who has
served in some very difficult positions on behalf of our country.
Another very distinguished, experienced diplomat, John Negroponte, was
our ambassador to Iraq. He did not have Middle East or Arabic language
skills when he was sent to Iraq. I believe the people you’ve just
mentioned, my former colleagues, all voted for former Deputy Secretary
Negroponte. So I think on the experience basis, he is not only very
well-qualified in terms of running a large embassy, helping to deal with
the myriad of issues that will arise as we conduct our withdrawal, but
we’ll have around him, as any ambassador does, people who have
particular skills and expertise.
With respect to the North
Korean mission that we believe Ambassador Hill carried out with great
persistence and success despite some difficult challenges, this is a
hard set of challenges to meet. And it is our perspective that he made a
lot of lemonade out of some pretty bad lemons, and he was able to get
the North Koreans on record as agreeing to certain obligations. We now
have to follow through on those obligations.
So our
assessment, which we believe is rooted in the facts, may be different
from those who, you know, are rightfully distressed with and extremely
critical of North Korean actions on human rights, on their continuing
effort to obtain nuclear weapons, on their belligerence and their
provocative actions. But that is something that is not in any way
reflective of the job that Chris Hill did in the Six-Party Talks, where
we think he did a very good job. MODERATOR: (Inaudible.) QUESTION: A question for the Secretary of State. You had strong words there for the dissidents in Northern Ireland. Can I just ask -- SECRETARY CLINTON: Not dissidents, not – I’m all in favor of dissidents. I’m not in favor of criminals. QUESTION:
Okay. Well, your strong words, how – I just want to ask how you felt
personally last week when you saw the events unfolding. And just
secondly on that, you’ve been asked to make an official visit at the
earliest opportunity. SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes. QUESTION: When do you think that will be and will President Obama be coming with you? SECRETARY CLINTON:
(Laughter.) Well, I told the minister that unfortunately, my colleagues
in the State Department know my great affection for Ireland and they’re
somewhat skeptical that it’s a work job for me to go. So I’m working
that through. I will get there at my earliest opportunity.
I
think like all people who value peace and who know what it’s like to
feel secure sending your, you know, son to the store or waiting for your
husband to come home from work, those days were thankfully behind us.
And so when these criminal elements, these rejectionists, determined to
kill and try to set the communities against one another in Northern
Ireland again, to relive the troubles and the bad days that everyone
worked so hard to resolve, it was distressing.
But I was
immediately heartened by the response across Northern Ireland, indeed,
the island of Ireland with people speaking out against the murders and
the violence and the provocation that these actions represented. I
particularly appreciated the very strong statements of Northern
Ireland’s leaders from both communities. So I believe this did, as the
minister said, fortunately foil the efforts of the criminal elements to
try to provoke violence again. In fact, it did show a unity of purpose, a
commitment to a positive future.
Now that doesn’t mean all of
the problems are over and all of the difficulties that people live with
day-to-day – the minister and I talked about some of the economic
issues that we wanted to help address in Northern Ireland. But it did,
in a resounding way, demonstrate a commitment to peace that touched my
heart and was incredibly moving to me.
Thank you all. FOREIGN MINISTER MARTIN: Thank you.
Remarks With Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams Before Their Meeting
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
March 17, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Well, I’m delighted to welcome Gerry Adams to the State Department. I
was delighted also to meet with him, I think, every year as a senator
from New York. And I’m looking forward to meeting with him and other
officials of Northern Ireland and the British Government today as we
celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and we talk about how we’re going to
continue to support the devolution of power and authority and the peace
and prosperity of the island of Ireland.
Thank you all.
Remarks With Northern Ireland Secretary of State Shaun Woodward Before Their Meeting
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
March 17, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good
afternoon. I am pleased to welcome the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland here for our meeting on this St. Patrick’s Day where we are
deeply connected between not only Ireland and – the island of Ireland
and the United States, but of course the United Kingdom and its very
progressive and positive role in moving Northern Ireland along the path
toward lasting peace and prosperity. SECRETARY WOODWARD:
Well, I’d like to thank the Secretary of State for being kind enough to
see me and my colleagues from Northern Ireland today on St. Patrick’s
Day, which of course, is a really important day for us all to celebrate.
It’s
been a testing time in Northern Ireland in the last week. But the
extraordinary thing is how not only the government in Britain and
Ireland have come behind the political parties in such an easy way, but
how the political parties in Northern Ireland have responded and united
(inaudible) this.
And I’d just like to thank the American
Government for everything you’ve done, the investment and the political
support, because we really do have the most great opportunities in
Northern Ireland, and we couldn’t have got there without the help of
America. And it’s a great chance now for us to see real prosperity for
the people there and lasting peace.
So thank you very much. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much.
Remarks With Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State, Secretary of State
Washington, DC
March 17, 2009
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. 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 manner. 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 minister, 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 those who carried out those dreadful acts. They intended to
divide us. They 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 this 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 international 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 decision 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: Jim Dee from the Belfast Telegraph. QUESTION: Thank you. This is a question for Madame Secretary and also the first and deputy first ministers. 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 unanimous 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
provide 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 deal is that as we have supplied you with 15 presidents that we will
continue 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 that 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 that in the future, we will continue to see investment from
the United States 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
damage 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.