US President Barack Obama on Monday praised the people and politicians of Northern Ireland for the progress made in their peace process and called on them to intensify their efforts.
“For all the strides that you’ve made there’s still much work to do,” he told a Belfast audience of around 2,000 people, many of whom were school students.
It is up to young people to keep pushing for the peace established in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Obama said.
“This work is as urgent now as it’s ever been because there’s more to lose now than there’s ever been,” he said.
“You need to get this right. You set the example for those who are seeking peace to end conflicts of their own,” he said. “You are the proof of what is possible. Hope is contagious. They are watching to see what you do next.” On his first official visit to Northern Ireland, Obama first met with Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, the first and deputy first ministers of Belfast’s power—sharing executive at the Waterfront Hall.
The president recalled the strong links between Northern Ireland and tens of millions of Americans, and noted that it took a century for the United States to recover from its civil war. In some states his parents’ marriage would still have been illegal, he said.
It was time for the Northern Irish to confront Protestant and Catholic segregation in schools and housing, he indicated.
“Whether you are a good neighbour to someone from the other side of past battles, that is up to you,” he added. “Whether you let your kids play with kids who attended a different church ... that is up to you.” The president was introduced by his wife Michelle Obama, who said the couple made it a priority to meet young people when they travelled.
“In just a couple of decades you will be the ones in charge,” she told the audience. “You have the freedom of an open mind ... a fresh perspective that can help you find the solution to age old problems.” Michelle and the couple’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, were to travel on to Dublin, where they planned to visit Ireland’s oldest university, Trinity College, and attend a special performance of Riverdance.
Obama was to fly by helicopter afterwards to Lough Erne, where G8 leaders are meeting. He was to hold bilateral meetings with both British Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin.