Ruairí Quinn
Question:67 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the bilateral talks he held in the United States last week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14736/97]
Written Answers - US Bilateral Talks.
I assume the Deputy's question refers to the meetings I had with US political leaders during the course of my visit to New York and Washington last week.
In the course of a reception hosted by President Clinton on the evening of Sunday, 21 September 1997, for visiting Heads of Delegation to the UN General Assembly, I had the opportunity to convey to the President the Government's deep appreciation of his strong and continuing support for the peace process. The President reiterated his dedicated commitment to the process and his determination to support the all-party talks in every way possible. He said he attached high priority to achieving a lasting settlement to the Northern Ireland problem. In a subsequent address to the assembled Heads of Delegation, the President spoke of the importance of finding a solution to the troubles "in the land of my ancestors" I thanked the President for his encouragement of, and support for, the restoration of the IRA ceasefire and for continuing to act as a friend to all sides in Northern Ireland.
I also had an opportunity at the reception to have discussions with the Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and the National Security Adviser, Sandy Berger. I invited the Secretary of State to visit Ireland at a convenient time, an invitation which she was very pleased to accept.
In the course of my visit to Washington, I had separate meetings with Senators Edward Kennedy and Connie Mack; with Congressman Harold Rogers, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee on Justice and State, and Congressman Charles Schumer. The latter two meetings were specifically concerned with visa issues. In addition, I met the Friends of Ireland and thead hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, chaired by Congressman Ben Gilman, the Chairman of the House International Relations Committee and Co-Chairman of the ad hoc committee.
I also had a meeting at the White House with the National Security Adviser, in which we reviewed the recent encouraging developments in the peace process and discussed how best to achieve further progress. We also discussed the appointment of Mr. James M. Lyons as special adviser to the President for economic initiatives on Ireland, an appointment which I warmly welcomed.
The ambassador also hosted a dinner in Washington at which I had the opportunity to brief some leading Members of Congress, including Senators Dodd and Leahy, and members of the media, including the executive editor of the Washington Post, on current issues, in particular in relation to Northern Ireland.
In New York I hosted a dinner for some senior friends of Ireland in the community, and met the Immigration Liaison Committee. I also had discussions in their offices with both Mayor Giuliani and Governor Pataki.