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IRELAND sets today's Foreign Agenda for Clinton, Obama

Daily Appointments Schedule for Secy. of State Clinton for Tues. March 17, 2009.

10:00 a.m. --  Meeting with Gerry Adams, President of Sein Fein.
Secy. Clinton: "I’m delighted to welcome Gerry Adams to the State Department. I was delighted also to meet with him, I think, every year as a senator from New York. And I’m looking forward to meeting with him and other officials of Northern Ireland and the British Government today as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and we talk about how we’re going to continue to support the devolution of power and authority and the peace and prosperity of the island of Ireland."

10:50 a.m. --  Attend  President Obama's meeting with Taoiseach (Head of State) of Ireland
Brian Cowen, at the White House.
According to the office of the Taoiseach, the two leaders  "are expected to focus on the global economic crisis, as well as recent developments in Northern Ireland and bilateral relations between Ireland and the United States...The Taoiseach will then present the President with the gift of shamrock in a Waterford Crystal bowl, to symbolize the friendship and deep ties between Ireland and the United States".

2:00 p.m. --  Meeting with Shaun Woodward, Secy. of State for Northern Ireland.
2:30 p.m. --  Meeting with Peter Robinson, First Minister of Northern Ireland and Martin McGuinness, Dep. First Min. of Northern Ireland.
7:00 p.m. --  Attend The President and Mrs. Obama’s Reception in honor of the Prime Minister of Ireland and Mrs. Cowen, at the White House.

OTHER Foreign Affairs-related EVENT  Pelosi's St. Patricks LUNCH --- The Irish Head of State, Brian Cowan will have lunch on Capitol Hill hosted by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. This will be attended by President Obama and senior US senators and congressmen.

BIO BRIEFS ON TODAY'S FOREIGN LEADERS IN WASHINGON

Brian Cowan, Taoiseach of Ireland since May 2008. This position is the Head of State and essentially equal to the role of Prime Minister. Born 1960. Appointed as Tánaiste and re-appointed as Minister for Finance June, 2007; appointed Min. for Finance 2004; Served as Min. for Foreign Affairs from 2000 - 2004; Min. for Health and Children from 1997 - 2000; Min. for Transport, Energy and Communications from 1993 -1994; Min. for Labour 1992 -1993. 

Gerry Adams --  is the President of Sinn Féin. Born 1948 in a working class area of West Belfast (oldest of ten), where  he continues to reside with his wife and son.  1960's: worked as bartender, started to get involved in activism. 1972: Jailed on the Maidstone, a British prison ship. Released, 1972, at 24, to join the IRA delegation that met the British gov. in London, participated in peace talks.  1973 to 1977: Arrested and held again.1983: Elected as President of Sinn Fein. According to his Sinn Fein profile: "Gerry Adams is widely acclaimed for his crucial role in laying the groundwork for the peace process in Ireland and for his continuing efforts in the building of a stable, democratically negotiated peace settlement"  1993:  Worked with John Hume and other parties on reviving the Irish Peace Initiative leading to Downing Street Declaration and the Joint Framework Document.  Sinn Fein profile continues: "The strategy adopted by Sinn Fein leadership, headed by Gerry Adams, played a significant part in the Irish Republican Army's courageous announcement on 31 Aug. 1994 of 'a complete cessation of military operations'. " This work is said to be the catalyst that later produced the Belfast Agreement  or 'Good Friday Agreement'. 
Martin McGuinness, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. Born 1950. According to his Sinn Fein profile: "He became involved in the Civil Rights Movement in Derry after October 5th, 1968 and joined Sinn Fein in 1970. Since Martin was elected to the Ard Comhairle (National Executive) of Sinn Fein, he has played a major role in promoting and supporting the strategy of the current peace process. He was a leading representative in the 1972 talks with the then British Secretary of State, William Whitelaw, in London. In 1982 Martin McGuinness was elected to the short-lived Stormont assembly"   He met with Pres. Bill Clinton (along with Gerry Adams), during Clinton's visit to Belfast in 1995; Represented the Party with European leaders;  Member of Sinn Feinis delegation to the Dublin Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. He became Sinn Féin's chief negotiator in critical time leading up to Belfast Agreement.  

Secy. Clinton meets with Irish F.M. -- speaks out on Northern Ireland

'commitment to peace that touched my heart'

Remarks from Secy. of State Clinton, after meeting with Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin:
"...in recent days, a handful of rejectionists have tried to drag the people of Northern Ireland back into a full cycle of violence and retaliation. The recent attacks which killed two British soldiers and a police officer are an affront to the values of every community, every ethnicity, every religion, and every nation that seeks peace. I want to commend the entire leadership of Northern Ireland as well as the Irish and British governments for their constructive statements and their strong resolve in the face of this attack...
... The United States stand with the people of Northern Ireland. We will not let criminals destroy the gains that have been achieved through great courage and sacrifice...
...I think like all people who value peace and who know what it’s like to feel secure sending your, you know, son to the store or waiting for your husband to come home from work, those days were thankfully behind us. And so when these criminal elements, these rejectionists, determined to kill and try to set the communities against one another in Northern Ireland again, to relive the troubles and the bad days that everyone worked so hard to resolve, it was distressing...
...But I was immediately heartened by the response across Northern Ireland, indeed, the island of Ireland with people speaking out against the murders and the violence and the provocation that these actions represented. I particularly appreciated the very strong statements of Northern Ireland’s leaders from both communities. ....
Now that doesn’t mean all of the problems are over and all of the difficulties that people live with day-to-day – the minister and I talked about some of the economic issues that we wanted to help address in Northern Ireland. But it did, in a resounding way, demonstrate a commitment to peace that touched my heart and was incredibly moving to me.

US to N. Ireland / UK: We commend how you're handling it.

Response to the Shooting of Policeman in Northern Ireland

by US State Dept., Robert Wood, Acting Department Spokesman:

The United States commends the people of Northern Ireland and the authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland for their constructive response to recent sectarian murders. It is clear that the vast majority of people reject violence and murder as the tools of terrorism, not politics.
The United States will continue to support peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and will be a steadfast partner of the people of Northern Ireland as they turn back threats to the peace process. We commend all parties in Northern Ireland for their firm response to those few who seek to obstruct political reconciliation and destroy the hard-won peace in Northern Ireland.

Violence in Northern Ireland -- Sad Situation

State Dept. Spokesman, Robert Wood: We’re very concerned about this violence and condemn it. You know, we want to try to encourage, you know, the forces of peace. It’s a sad situation.

Northern Ireland

has had such a tragic history of violence; we certainly don’t want to see any type of recurrence like this. We are concerned about it. The Secretary expressed her concern about it yesterday. And we’re going to be following it closely, and we’re encouraging all the parties involved to, you know, remain calm and desist from any kind of violence... Will Be Following [Situation] Closely...and Encourage All Parties to Remain Calm.