Politics

Bush Meets Irish Leaders

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

March 16, 2001 / 8:04 AM EST / CBS

President Bush made his initial foray into tricky Northern Ireland politics Friday with a bowl of shamrocks and a general offer of help in maintaining peace. "America is proud to call Ireland a friend," he said.

Mr. Bush met with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern to receive a crystal bowl of shamrocks, a a St. Patrick's Day tradition, and to discuss assisting with implementing the 1998 power-sharing arrangement that made Northern Ireland more peaceful after decades of sectarian violence.

Mr. Bush told Ahern the U.S. stands ready to help the Northern Ireland peace process "in any way that the governments involved need."

"There's an Irish expression: the work praises the man," he said. "The peace that holds today in Northern Ireland is in no small measure a tribute to the prime minister and his courageous leadership."

The Irish prime minister said he was glad to hear Mr. Bush utter "warm words of encouragement," saying ongoing support from the United States is vital for "a lasting and comprehensive political settlement" to take hold in the British province.

"It is good to be able to count on true friends," Ahern said.

Afterward, Mr. Bush was hosting a reception with VIPs from Ireland, Northern Ireland and Britain, including John Reid, Britain's minister responsible for the province; John Hume, leader of the political party that represents moderate Catholic opinion; Gerry Adams, head of the Irish Republican Army-affiliated Sinn Fein party, which most hard-line Catholics support; David Trimble, the senior Protestant in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government; and Seamus Mallon, Hume's party deputy who is the senior Catholic in the government.

Also invited for the first time is Ian Paisley, an anti-Catholic evangelist whose party, the Democratic Unionists, has refused to participate in peace talks attended by Sinn Fein. Paisley was invited with the approval of all the parties to the Good Friday pact, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

The Good Friday accord proposed to end decades of sectarian violence with a joint Catholic-Protestant government for Northern Ireland. But it is now in jeopardy, largely because the mainly Catholic IRA is reluctant to carry out its pledge to disarm.

Last month, Mr. Bush said he would assist the Northern Ireland peace process only if asked by the region's leaders. That touched off concerns that Mr. Bush would not make Northern Ireland as high a priority as did former President Clinton.

But Thursday, Mr. Bush stepped in without such a request. He greeted Ahern and other leaders at a St. Patrick's Day luncheon on Capitol Hill, and designated State Department senior adviser Richard Haass to take on Northern Ireland as part of a broader policy portfolio.

A senior administrtion official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Bush's initial reluctance was based on the fact that the new administration did not wish to "jump in with both feet" while Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were in the midst of intense negotiations aimed at narrowing disputes that are hanging up the Good Friday pact.

Thursday's events reflected the usual rush of official Ireland-related activity revolving around St. Patrick's Day, which is Saturday.

At the luncheon, Mr. Bush and Ahern sat side-by-side at the head table with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. The president praised Mr. Clinton's efforts and told Ahern that the United States "was going to be a partner in peace," Fleischer said.

"He said that the Good Friday agreement remains the best hope for a lasting peace," Fleischer said. "He believes, essentially, that now is the time for the parties in the negotiation to complete their work and will stand ready to be of assistance."

Hastert presented Ahern with a pewter bowl, saying it "symbolizes the sturdy relationship we have." Ahern gave Hastert a large green gift-wrapped box and told lunch participants it was "a great honor and a great privilege" to meet the president.