WHITE HOUSE:THE WHITE House expressed President Barack Obama's appreciation to Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Prime Minister Gordon Brown for their part in yesterday's Northern Ireland agreement.
“The president appreciates the personal contributions and steadfast support of the Taoiseach and UK prime minister Gordon Brown in support of the historic agreement achieved by Northern Ireland leaders today, which is an important step on the pathway to greater peace and prosperity for all communities on the island,” said a statement by the White House press secretary.
In the same statement, the White House announced Mr Cowen will be welcomed to the White House on March 17th.
“The president looks forward to commemorating his second St Patrick’s Day in the White House with the Taoiseach, a celebration which serves as a reminder of the shared history and close kinship between our two countries.”
First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have also been invited to the White House on March 17th to “discuss their progress toward meeting their shared commitments”.
Earlier in the day, the White House and state department presented their congratulations to Michael Collins, Ireland’s Ambassador to Washington.
Congressman Richard Neal, the chairman of the Friends of Ireland in the US House of Representatives, telephoned Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin to tell him how pleased he was.
Speaking in the Treaty Room at the state department at 8.30am, secretary of state Hillary Clinton said, “Northern Ireland has taken another important step toward a full and lasting peace.”
Mrs Clinton has kept up a continuous round of telephone and face-to-face contacts with all parties involved in the agreement since last spring, and made a special trip to Belfast in October in the hope of moving the process forward. “This has not been an easy road,” she said. “There were plenty of bumps along the way.”
Mrs Clinton applauded the First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, saying they “displayed the kind of leadership that the people of Northern Ireland deserve”. She also thanked Mr Cowen, Mr Martin, Mr Brown and the Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward for staying “resolutely focused on moving this process forward, forging common ground, and reaching an outcome that would keep Northern Ireland on the path of peace and stability”.
In an allusion to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, she said “Northern Ireland gives us hope . . . diligent diplomacy and committed leadership can overcome generations of suspicion and hostility”.