Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said that the appointment of Mr George W. Bush as the new U.S. president did not represent a setback for the Northern Ireland peace process.
Praising outgoing President Bill Clinton for his considerable personal commitment to trying to bring lasting peace to Northern Ireland, Mr Adams said Sinn Fein was not worried about Mr Bush, despite the widespread belief that he would be less directly involved in the peace process.
"Our representative in the United States has said she is quite satisfied that while Clinton, for his personal attachment, will be missed, the return of George Bush is not a setback to this process in terms of Irish-America and the broader political establishment," said Mr Adams. Speaking after a regular meeting of the ruling council of Sinn Fein, he said Mr Clinton's eight years in power had been "eight good years for Ireland."
He said Mr Clinton had recognised the need for compromise and a more inclusive approach to resolving conflict, citing the outgoing U.S. president's decision to grant Sinn Fein's leaders visas to visit the United States as an example of his political sense
Reuters