Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has hailed the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) as a “triumph of diplomacy” during an event in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Clinton was joined by Nobel Peace Prize winner and GFA negotiator, John Hume, and former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in speaking at the Queen’s University Belfast event, which marked 20 years since the historic peace agreement. Clinton praised the agreement for its role in forging peace in Northern Ireland and reiterated the U.S.’s commitment to supporting the agreement despite Brexit. Clinton’s appearance in Belfast coincided with the publication of a new report featuring interviews with women who played a role in the peace process.
The report, entitled “Women, Inclusion and Democracy in Northern Ireland,” was published by the Clinton Foundation and Queen’s University Belfast. Clinton praised the work of the women who had contributed to the peace process and said that their contributions were often overlooked. The report recommends that efforts be made to ensure that more women are included in decision-making processes in Northern Ireland in the future. Clinton also praised the Windsor Framework, which was agreed by the UK and Irish governments in 1998, as providing a “path forward” for resolving the ongoing political impasse in Northern Ireland. The framework seeks to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland have the right to identify as Irish, British, or both.
Clinton’s visit to Northern Ireland comes amid growing concern over the impact of Brexit on the peace process. The U.S. played a key role in the negotiations leading up to the signing of the GFA, and Clinton’s comments are seen as a reaffirmation of U.S. support for the agreement. Speaking in Dublin earlier this week, Clinton warned that Brexit could endanger the peace process and called on the UK government to take steps to ensure that the Northern Ireland peace remains secure. Clinton’s warnings were echoed by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who said that there could be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The event in Belfast was attended by a range of political and civic leaders from Northern Ireland, including Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, the Democratic Unionist Party’s Arlene Foster, and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley. The leaders of the five main Northern Irish political parties issued a joint statement in which they pledged their commitment to the GFA and reaffirmed their commitment to working towards a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. The statement was seen as a positive sign that the parties were willing to work together to resolve the ongoing political crisis.
In addition to attending the event at Queen’s University, Clinton also met with community leaders and activists working in Northern Ireland. She praised the work of the Northern Irish Women’s Coalition, which played a key role in securing the inclusion of women’s rights in the GFA. Clinton also spoke about the importance of youth engagement in the peace process and called on young people to become more involved in politics.
Clinton’s appearance in Belfast has been well-received by many in Northern Ireland who view the former Secretary of State as a key figure in the peace process. Her calls for continued U.S. support for the GFA and warnings about the impact of Brexit on the peace process have been seen as important interventions in a rapidly changing political landscape. Despite the ongoing political crisis in Northern Ireland, many remain hopeful that the peace agreement will continue to hold and that progress can be made towards a more stable and equitable future.
