The Five Demands

IN PICTURES: Obama calls for more peace efforts (News Letter)

President Barack Obama urged Northern Ireland’s politicians today to keep working towards a permanent peace.

Fifteen years after the signing of the Good Friday peace agreement which cleared the way for the power-sharing executive in Belfast, the US president said the world was watching for the next stage of the process.

He hinted it was time for an end to segregated education and housing.

He said: “You need to get this right. You set the example for those who are seeking peace to end conflicts of their own.

“You are their blueprint to follow. You are the proof of what is possible. Hope is contagious. They are watching to see what you do next.”

During an uplifting keynote address to an invited audience of 2,000 people, mainly school students, Mr Obama lauded the Northern Ireland peace process as a model and promised that America would continue to support the Stormont political system.

He added: “Peace is not just about politics. It is about attitudes, a sense of empathy and breaking down barriers in hearts.”

Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, the First and Deputy First Ministers of the Stormont power-sharing executive, greeted the president on arrival at the Waterfront and held a brief private meeting before Mr Obama appeared on stage.

Mr Obama acknowledged the challenges that exist.

“There are still people who have not reaped the rewards of peace, there are those who are not convinced that the effort is worth it.

“There are still wounds that have not been healed and communities where tension and mistrust hangs in the air. There are walls that still stand, there are still many miles to go.”

He said it was within his audience’s power to change that.

“Whether you are a good neighbour to someone from the other side of past battles, that is up to you,” he warned.

“Whether you treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve, that is up to you.

“Whether you let your kids play with kids who attended a different church…that is up to you.”

The president made a direct appeal for the young people in the audience to do all they could to ensure that Northern Ireland’s peace was lasting.

“Peace is indeed harder than war,” he said. “It’s constant fragility is part of its beauty. A bullet need only happen once but for peace to work we need to be reminded of its existence again and again and again.

“We must remind us of the existence of peace. Remind us of hope again, again and again that despite resistance, setbacks and despite hardship, despite tragedy… You need to remind us of the future.”

Mr Obama also pledged America’s continued support for Northern Ireland.

“For those who choose the path of peace, the United States of America will be with you every step of the way. We will always be a wind at your back. This little island inspires the best of things. For this little island the best of days are yet ahead,” he said.

Before the president took to the stage, his wife, Michelle, said it had been a priority to meet young people who would be the future leaders of society.

“Wherever we go, no matter what is on our plate, we always do our best to meet young people,” said Mrs Obama.

The First Lady was introduced by 16-year-old schoolgirl Hannah Nelson, who said she wanted to see a permanent peace in her homeland.

“We should not let the past pull us apart and stop us moving forward. Somehow we need to make a brighter future, a future that builds bridges and brings people together,” she said.

Northern Ireland’s most senior police officer, Matt Baggott, Education Minister John O’Dowd, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party Mike Nesbitt and Alliance Party MP Naomi Long were also among the invited dignitaries.

There was a real sense of excitement inside the Waterfront Hall where the crowd performed a Mexican wave before Mr Obama delivered his address.

Outside the conference centre, a small crowd of well-wishers gathered, hoping to catch a glimpse of the president and his family.

Air Force One had touched down at Aldergrove International Airport, 20 miles north of the city, at 8.35am amid the biggest security operation ever mounted in Northern Ireland.

Mr Obama emerged on the steps of the plane wearing his trademark crisp dark suit and clutching his youngest daughter’s hand.

He was flown by Marine One helicopter to George Best Belfast City Airport and then travelled by road to the Waterfront Hall convention centre a mile away.

Hundreds of police 4x4s lined the streets, while the Police Service of Northern Ireland helicopter patrolled the skies over the city and specialist boat units kept watch from the River Lagan.

Thousands of extra police officers were deployed to the province ahead of the G8 summit, including 3,600 from other forces in England and Wales.

Even though Mr Obama visited the Republic two years ago, this is his first trip to Northern Ireland.

Later he will travel to the luxury Lough Erne golf resort in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, where he will join leaders including Russian Premier Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the two-day G8 economic conference.

Former US president Bill Clinton became the first serving US leader to visit Northern Ireland in 1995 and was a regular visitor during the peace negotiations.

George Bush also visited Northern Ireland in 2008.

Later a tiny group of protesting dissident republicans opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process – some masked – marched to City Hall.

But they were quickly moved on by police into a neighbouring street where they were hemmed in on the footpath for almost an hour.

Police said a small group of protesters made their way from the Falls Road in West Belfast to Belfast City Hall; a 19-year-old man was arrested for a number of offences outside the City Hall including disorderly behaviour. Protestors made their way back to west Belfast.

Yesterday, a 48-year-old man was arrested in the East Bridge Street area of Enniskillen on suspicion of criminal damage. He was released later the same day. The matter was dealt with by way of discretionary disposal.