Stormont appeal by Pelosi

THE speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was in Stormont yesterday where she experienced local reaction first hand as terrorist violence returned to the streets of Derry.

Poignantly, the most powerful woman in American politics was in the North to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

After a moment of silence for murdered Lyra McKee, Ms Pelosi said: ‘You not only had a moment of silence, you presented a sense of resolve that justice would be done and the memory of that young woman would be a lesson for all of us. What we see now stands in stark contrast to what we had seen when we came here years ago, and we would hope that that contrast would continue,’ she said.

Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Robin Newton spoke of his hope that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Earlier, Ms Pelosi – who is America’s third most powerful politician – appeared moved by speeches by two school girls from different sides of the community in the North.

She said their message of hope will be taken across the US by the congressmen and women in her delegation.

‘All of our members are here for a purpose, and you are fulfilling that purpose because you are telling us that the Good Friday accords are alive and well,’ she told the young people. She added: ‘Respect history, but it is about the future.’

The 79-year-old and her delegation of US congressmen and women were on the final day of their four-day visit to Ireland. On Thursday, they visited Derry, where Ms McKee was shot hours later.