Clinton Visits IrelandUS President Bill Clinton arrived in Dublin, Ireland, on Tuesday despite warnings that he was unlikely to break the political deadlock threatening Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive.Clinton, accompanied by his wife, senator-elect Hillary Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea, were greeted upon their arrival by Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and other members of the Irish government. The presidential party then traveled to the American ambassador's residence before visiting President Mary McAleese and her family at the presidential palace. On Tuesday evening, Clinton will travel to Belfast ahead of a day of meetings with Northern Ireland politicians. The political parties in Northern Ireland have been deadlocked over the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, particularly those of the Irish Republican Army; policing reforms; demilitarization and authorization for the attendance of Sinn Fein ministers at North-South Ministerial Council meetings. Britain's Northern Ireland secretary, Peter Mandelson, said there is unlikely to be any political breakthrough on the current impasse until after Clinton's visit. On Monday evening, Northern Ireland's first minister, David Trimble, met Prime Minister Tony Blair at Downing Street. But Blair's spokesman denied that any deal was being prepared and said that the meeting was "a matter of course" to discuss Clinton's visit. Earlier, Trimble reiterated a call for the president to help shift Republican and Loyalist parties from their "intransigent positions" on starting a weapons decommissioning process. After a day of meetings in Dublin, the presidential party will travel to the border town of Dundalk in County Louth where Clinton will make a public address on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, he will have speak with the main pro-agreement parties at Stormont, before speaking publicly at the new Odyssey Center in Belfast. |
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