Clinton hope in Stormont deadlock
FORMER US president Bill Clinton has been recruited by Theresa May to help break the political deadlock in Northern Ireland.
Mr Clinton, who served two terms in the White House from 1993 to 2001, had talks with the Prime Minister at Downing Street yesterday.
The ex-leader, 71, played a pivotal role in bringing about the historic Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
Now the PM hopes he can bring the parties back round the table to restart the devolved government in Stormont. The power-sharing agreement between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein collapsed last year because of accusations about First Minister Arlene Foster over a failed energy project.
The two parties won the subsequent Assembly election but have failed to reach agreement over a new deal.
Differences have included Sinn Fein’s demands that Irish Gaelic is given the same official status as English.
Mr Clinton arrived for the meeting at No10 following talks earlier in the week with the main Northern Ireland party leaders in Belfast.
Downing Street made it clear he had not been used to deliver a message to them on behalf of the Government.
As he left after almost an hour inside No 10, Mr Clinton told reporters: “We had a wonderful talk.”
Earlier this week he made an appeal to the parties as he received an honorary doctorate at Dublin University.
He said: “The Good Friday Accord basically recognised that in an interdependent world which can be good, bad or both, human nature being what it is, an interdependent world is one in which you cannot get away from the other.
“In such a world the great trick is to own your own identity, embrace your own tribe, but form a community in which what you have in common with those you can’t get away from is more important than your differences.”
The devolved institutions at Stormont remain suspended since the administration fell apart in January after Martin McGuinness resigned as deputy First Minister.
Mr McGuinness died at 66 less than three months later.