[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 24 (Monday, June 23, 2008)]
[Pages 868-869]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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. 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, 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

[[Page 869]]

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 Senator 
George J. Mitchell; former Special Envoys for Northern Ireland Richard 
N. Haass and Mitchell B. Reiss; and Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, the 
President's Special Envoy to Northern Ireland.