    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [June 16, 2008]
    [Pages 835-836]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Northern Ireland in Belfast, Northern Ireland
    June 16, 2008

        President Bush. Mr. First Minister, Mr. Deputy Minister, thank you
    for your hospitality. I'm excited to be here in Northern Ireland. And
    one of the reasons why is because I'm impressed by the progress that is
    being made toward peace and reconciliation. As a matter of fact, the
    world is impressed by the progress being made toward peace and
    reconciliation. And that obviously takes a commitment by leadership. And
    I want to thank you all for giving me time to hear your thoughts and to
    visit with you.
        We talked about a lot of issues. We talked about the devolution of
    police and justice. We talked about the successful investment conference
    that took place here. And I want to thank my fellow citizens for coming,
    and I want to thank those from around the world who are paying attention
    to Northern Ireland. And the truth of the matter is this, is, you know,
    people who have come here and looked at the Government, looked at the
    situation and gotten to know the people realize this is a good place to
    invest. And ultimately, investment is going to help Northern Ireland
    realize its full potential.
        And then finally, I was able to thank the leaders for their work in
    helping others reconcile their differences. The interesting thing about
    the progress being made here in Northern Ireland is that it's attracted
    the attention of societies around the world that wonder whether
    reconciliation is possible for them. And Martin was telling me about his
    talks with some of the Iraqi leaders, about his--sharing his stories
    about how folks can reconcile. Northern Ireland is a success story.
    Obviously, there's more work to be done, but the progress made to date
    has been unimaginable 10 years ago.
        And I want to congratulate you, thank you for serving your
    communities. And I wish you all the very best as you continue your
    journey.
        First Minister Robinson. Thank you very much, indeed. Can I say that
    I'm delighted that President Bush, of his own choice, has recognized
    that Belfast is one of the major cities of Europe and has included it in
    this tour. It is a personal commitment that the President has shown
    towards Northern Ireland. And we are really grateful, not just for him
    coming today but for the work that has been done by the President and
    his ambassadors over the previous years, and particularly the work that
    has been done most recently for the investment conference.
        The endorsement of the President for our investment conference goes
    a long way, and it lets people throughout the world know that Northern
    Ireland truly is open for business.
        Deputy First Minister McGuinness. Can I say, just to echo what Peter
    has said,

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    that this is an opportunity for us to express our thanks and
    appreciation for the tremendous work that has been done, in terms of the
    United States of America, and what is now undoubtedly one of the most
    successful peace processes in the world today. Beginning with the work
    of President Clinton, the contribution of Senator George Mitchell, the
    envoys that were sent by President Bush, such as Richard Haass and
    Mitchell Reiss and now Paula Dobriansky, all of whom have played a very
    important role in contributing to our process, which I do believe is, as
    the President has identified, a role model for how other conflicts can
    be resolved in other parts of the world.
        And really we're having a tremendous amount of interest in our work.
    We've had two delegations of Iraqi Parliamentarians to Parliament
    buildings here in Belfast, just a few yards up the road. And there is no
    doubt whatsoever that other places that have suffered from conflict are
    anxious to learn from our experiences. We don't believe that we have got
    all of the answers, but what we can certainly do is outlay our
    experiences for others to consider.
        We also are very appreciative of the width of support that has been
    put behind the economic investment conference by the President and by
    Paula Dobriansky as Ambassador. And we're very hopeful in the time
    ahead. And, in fact, I think we're confident that jobs, much needed
    jobs, will flow from that. And I think providing good jobs, a decent
    standard of living, facing up to the economic difficulties that are--
    people have to endure is a very important part of the workload which
    Peter and I, as First and Deputy First Minister, need to take forward in
    the time ahead.
        President Bush. Thank you all very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:14 p.m. at Stormont Castle. In his
    remarks, Deputy First Minister McGuinness referred to former Sen. George
    J. Mitchell; former U.S. Special Envoys for Northern Ireland Richard N.
    Haass and Mitchell B. Reiss; and Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, U.S.
    Special Envoy to Northern Ireland.