17/06/2013

:00:18. > :00:21.special on the visit of President Barack Obama to Northern Ireland.

:00:21. > :00:24.He's here for the G8 meeting in Fermanagh, but this morning he will

:00:24. > :00:27.be speaking at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast where he's expected to

:00:27. > :00:37.touch on the need to build a more integrated society. His wife

:00:37. > :00:38.

:00:38. > :00:41.Michelle is also expected to address the gathering. They are due to

:00:41. > :00:44.arrive on Air Force One at the international airport in a few

:00:44. > :00:49.minutes time. They wield their own travel by helicopter to the City

:00:49. > :00:53.Airport, and from there, they will be driven to the Waterfront Hall,

:00:53. > :01:01.presumably in that huge armoured car, known as The Beast. That was

:01:01. > :01:04.the one that got stuck in 2011 at the US Embassy. We will go live to

:01:04. > :01:09.Enniskillen shortly, but first, a quick word with my guests this

:01:09. > :01:16.morning. I have Fionnuala O'Connor, the Economist and commentator, and

:01:16. > :01:22.Catherine Clinton, also just back from the US. Rate excitement about

:01:22. > :01:26.the G8? Not really. In Washington, where I was, there is a lot of

:01:26. > :01:36.excitement about ongoing debates, certainly, Syria has hit the

:01:36. > :01:36.

:01:36. > :01:45.headlines. They say that if the sun comes up, Congress claims Obama.

:01:45. > :01:50.So, he will probably be quite pleased to be here. And Presidents

:01:50. > :01:55.always get a warm welcome in this part of the world, don't they?

:01:55. > :02:00.do. It was Bill Clinton who came first, and it is a different time

:02:00. > :02:07.and place now, and a very different President. Of course, here is not

:02:07. > :02:11.just here to visit Northern Ireland, but for another reason altogether.

:02:11. > :02:16.We know that Northern Ireland will be making the most of it for tourism

:02:16. > :02:25.purposes. Fermanagh is beautiful, of course, and you would want to be

:02:25. > :02:29.playing that up. But of course, we are out of the way, as some have

:02:29. > :02:38.said, we are on the road to nowhere, that is why we are here! But then we

:02:38. > :02:41.are a beautiful place. Because he was trying to refocus it on the good

:02:41. > :02:47.reasons for protesting about the G8 leaders being here, to draw

:02:47. > :02:51.attention to world hunger. And those protests were not seem to have

:02:51. > :02:56.materialised in the numbers that had been expected? Probably, the

:02:56. > :03:02.heightening of the need for security, and who can blame security

:03:02. > :03:04.bosses for doing that, as probably deterred a lot of potential

:03:04. > :03:09.protesters, who have not been able to get anywhere near it, and have

:03:09. > :03:13.probably thought, they will not hear us, which is a bit of a shame. On

:03:13. > :03:18.Saturday, the Belfast protest was very small. There were a couple of

:03:18. > :03:24.tenths, as shown on some of the front pages today, as against the

:03:24. > :03:30.huge security. So, perhaps the security overkill has been effective

:03:30. > :03:39.in wiping the protest off the map. But it has to be there, that

:03:39. > :03:45.security. Certainly. In America, where I was last week, the protests

:03:45. > :03:55.were getting some attention. I frequently get calls from American

:03:55. > :03:56.

:03:56. > :04:04.friends, about possible protests at City Hall, and so, in some ways, the

:04:04. > :04:08.dampening of the effect of the protests might enable us to refocus

:04:08. > :04:10.on the question of, what will these nations do about the international

:04:10. > :04:16.crisis going on, and the ongoing crisis in terms of poverty, wealth

:04:16. > :04:25.and redistribution? One Tamim was the one which I thought President

:04:25. > :04:33.Barack Obama might we facing protests about. -- one Tamim obey.

:04:33. > :04:37.Also, it is his first visit to Northern Ireland. The North was

:04:37. > :04:41.never going to be as overwhelmed by the arrival of this President as the

:04:41. > :04:46.South was. But he could've expected a protest somewhere in the back

:04:46. > :04:56.ground. It could still happen. Of course, we have got a hunger strike

:04:56. > :04:58.

:04:58. > :05:04.going on in Guantanamo at the moment. Catherine Clinton, just act

:05:04. > :05:09.from the United States, has brought me this very handsome package of

:05:09. > :05:14.First Lady Mints. We will take into those while we listen to the speech.

:05:14. > :05:19.But let's go straight to the Waterfront now, to join Tara Mills.

:05:19. > :05:23.Well, it is a very tight schedule here this morning, and I am pleased

:05:23. > :05:27.to say we are joined by the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness.

:05:27. > :05:34.How significant is today? I think it is hugely significant. This is

:05:35. > :05:39.President Obama's first visit to the North. Peter Robinson and I have

:05:39. > :05:43.been in his place on five occasions, so it is wonderful for us to have

:05:43. > :05:47.the opportunity to welcome him here to Northern Ireland. The

:05:47. > :05:52.significance lies in the very strong relationship we have with the United

:05:52. > :05:56.States of America, in terms of thousands of new jobs coming from

:05:56. > :06:01.direct investment, and also, the importance for our own peace

:06:01. > :06:06.process, which is seen by President Obama and many others as the most

:06:06. > :06:11.successful his process in the world today. It seems that Presidents

:06:11. > :06:16.almost cannot resist the lure of the peace process, but for the ordinary

:06:16. > :06:21.person in the street, what can they hope to gain from this visit? We

:06:21. > :06:24.have proven that in the course of the last three or four years, we

:06:24. > :06:28.have created more jobs, add more direct investment, from North

:06:28. > :06:32.America, then at any other time in the history of the northern state.

:06:32. > :06:37.That comes from the very strong relationship we had with Secretary

:06:37. > :06:41.of State Clinton, who sponsored for us a very important economic

:06:41. > :06:47.investment conference in the State Department, and President Obama is

:06:47. > :06:52.still very committed to that. Also, it is hugely significant that here,

:06:52. > :06:56.we have the world 's leaders coming to a place which is seen as the most

:06:56. > :06:59.successful place for making peace anywhere on the planet. That has to

:06:59. > :07:05.send a very strong message to them about their responsibilities to

:07:05. > :07:11.bring peace to a very troubled world. Also, to end hunger and to

:07:11. > :07:19.face up to the in inequalities and injustices in the world. Some people

:07:19. > :07:23.have questioned about, why should I go and meet with President Obama? I

:07:23. > :07:28.should go and meet with him to articulate views which I feel

:07:28. > :07:33.strongly about, but to do it in a positive and democratic way. Toggle

:07:33. > :07:36.it is no panacea, though, the peace process here, and we still have

:07:36. > :07:39.obviously ongoing problems with sectarianism - what will you be

:07:39. > :07:49.saying to President Obama, and what do you hope he will say to the other

:07:49. > :07:50.

:07:50. > :07:55.people here today? We will say that divided, we are very weak, but

:07:55. > :07:58.United, we can be very strong. I think today, we will hear an

:07:58. > :08:03.articulation from President Obama of how far we have come. This place has

:08:03. > :08:08.been transformed. But still we have some considerable way to go to bear

:08:08. > :08:13.down on sectarianism and racism within our society. There is still a

:08:13. > :08:21.job to be done. We as politicians bear the biggest responsibility to

:08:21. > :08:25.take that forward and make a better life for all of our people. We have

:08:25. > :08:29.thousands of kids here in the Waterfront Hall. Some of these

:08:29. > :08:31.children were not even born at the time of the cease-fires. It is our

:08:31. > :08:38.responsibility to build a better place for them, and to have them

:08:38. > :08:41.living freely in a society which is comfortable with each other's

:08:41. > :08:45.legitimate political opinions. I think we will wait and hear what he

:08:45. > :08:50.has two say, but quite clearly, resident Obama is very engaged in

:08:50. > :08:54.this process. We have met him on five occasions, so this is a man who

:08:54. > :08:57.understands the importance of peace, and of making a contribution,

:08:57. > :09:05.which hopefully he will do again today Doc or we will have to leave

:09:05. > :09:13.it there. The President is about to touch down. Yes, in fact, he has

:09:13. > :09:17.touched down. Grey skies out there at the international airport. The

:09:17. > :09:24.President has had a long flight, but no doubt he and the First Lady will

:09:24. > :09:28.be well freshened up by the time he steps onto the tarmac. David Cameron

:09:28. > :09:37.arrived in Enniskillen last night. The Japanese premier also arrived

:09:37. > :09:47.last night. Angela Merkel of course will be arriving during the course

:09:47. > :09:49.

:09:49. > :09:59.of the morning. So, they have got a pretty tight schedule. After this,

:09:59. > :10:00.

:10:00. > :10:07.the presidential party will be airlifted in the presidential

:10:07. > :10:14.helicopter, and they will go to Belfast City Airport, from whence

:10:14. > :10:18.there will be a motorcade along the bypass to the Waterfront Hall. That

:10:18. > :10:22.will be about an hour in there, and then the President will make his way

:10:22. > :10:27.to Enniskillen, and the First Lady will move on to Dublin, where she

:10:27. > :10:32.has been invited to take part in the celebrations marking the 50th

:10:32. > :10:39.anniversary of John Kennedy's visit to Dublin. That's just go back to my

:10:39. > :10:45.guests. We should speak a bit about Michelle Obama. Her ancestry may

:10:45. > :10:51.also be traced back apparently to this part of the world... Yes, with

:10:51. > :10:57.the election of Barack Obama, we looked at really an amazing

:10:57. > :11:00.American, someone who had roots in Africa, and in America, but also the

:11:00. > :11:05.exploration of Michelle Obama's ancestry. She discovered much about

:11:05. > :11:11.her ancestry when a New York Times reporter went in search of her roots

:11:11. > :11:15.and traced them all the way back to a young, six-year-old girl who was

:11:15. > :11:19.sold from South Carolina to Georgia, and looked up the fact that the

:11:19. > :11:26.child that she produced may have been a child which was fathered by

:11:26. > :11:31.her master, who had, I believe it has been traced back to Ulster Scots

:11:31. > :11:36.roots. This is very typical of African-Americans, and it is

:11:36. > :11:41.something which we are we exploring. Again, talking about it being a

:11:41. > :11:46.wonderful place where peace is now, and I think in the United States, we

:11:46. > :11:51.had a bit of a war about 150 years ago, and peace was achieved, and

:11:51. > :11:56.indeed, it is great to see that the President comes in search of his

:11:56. > :12:00.roots. He was in the South a couple of years ago, and now, Michelle

:12:00. > :12:03.Obama is bringing her daughter. So, we are we exploring the family

:12:03. > :12:10.history. For her to touch down in this region I think is quite

:12:10. > :12:13.historic. Let's go back to the Waterfront Hall, where Tara has got

:12:13. > :12:17.the Secretary of State, I believe. Yes, Secretary of State, we have

:12:17. > :12:20.heard Martin McGuinness's views on the significance of today dashed

:12:20. > :12:24.from your point of view, what will this mean for Northern Ireland?

:12:24. > :12:28.is fantastic that President Obama is visiting Northern Ireland for the

:12:28. > :12:32.first time, alongside seven of the other most powerful leaders in the

:12:32. > :12:38.world. It is our chance to show what huge progress has been made in

:12:38. > :12:42.Northern Ireland, and this political settlement, just a few years ago,

:12:42. > :12:46.before that, this kind of sum it would've been on thinkable here.

:12:46. > :12:52.Now, we can tell the world what a great place Northern Ireland is to

:12:52. > :12:55.visit and to invest in. It is a great opportunity. When it comes to

:12:55. > :13:02.the security operation, it has been massive, but it has not been

:13:02. > :13:05.required so far. I am afraid a very vigilant approach to security is

:13:06. > :13:13.always necessary, and for an event on the scale of the G8, inevitably,

:13:13. > :13:17.the police operation is huge. All the G8s over recent years have been

:13:17. > :13:22.marred by Public order issues. So far, that has not happened for this

:13:22. > :13:31.G8, which I think is a test me to the very effect of planning and

:13:31. > :13:35.preparation done by the PSNI. -- a testament. It was absolutely vital

:13:35. > :13:42.that we should produce this week security operation, to make sure

:13:42. > :13:47.that we keep not only the G8 leaders and delegations safe, but everybody

:13:47. > :13:52.else as well. Do you think we will gain more foreign investment from

:13:52. > :13:55.America as a result of this visit? I think so. For many people around the

:13:55. > :14:00.world, they still viewed Northern Ireland through the lens of the

:14:00. > :14:05.troubles. The name Northern Ireland still conjures up for many people

:14:05. > :14:09.pictures of the 1970s and 1980s, of street conflicts and terrorist

:14:09. > :14:14.violence. This is a good opportunity to demonstrate the scenic beauty of

:14:14. > :14:18.Northern Ireland, the fact that the quality of life here is great, and

:14:18. > :14:23.that it is a brilliant place for investment. That must help enable

:14:23. > :14:27.Northern Ireland to compete in the competitive global race for jobs and

:14:27. > :14:32.investment. We did have some skirmishes in east Belfast last

:14:32. > :14:38.night - were you disappointed about that? As I say, with every single G8

:14:38. > :14:42.in recent years, there have been protests, some of which have been

:14:42. > :14:47.violent. It would be impossible to be able to get through the whole of

:14:47. > :14:51.the G8 with not a single arrest, with no public order issues at all.

:14:51. > :14:56.Of course, it is a grave concern whenever public order problems arise

:14:56. > :14:59.in Northern Ireland. But the PSNI and their partners have done a

:14:59. > :15:01.tremendous job to prepare for this important summit, and I am

:15:01. > :15:04.absolutely confident that they will be doing their very best to keep

:15:04. > :15:09.people safe and secure, and make sure that we have a successful

:15:09. > :15:15.summit. What do you think President of Obama's message will be to the

:15:15. > :15:20.young people today? I have not seen his speech yet, but I hope that he

:15:20. > :15:26.will have a message of hope about the future of Northern Ireland,

:15:26. > :15:30.about the fact that so much has been achieved, but also that there is

:15:30. > :15:34.further work to be done to address sectarian divisions. He will know

:15:34. > :15:37.that for many people in Northern Ireland, they have entirely left

:15:37. > :15:41.behind those preconceptions and prejudices, but for some, there are

:15:41. > :15:47.still exist deep divisions between themselves and their neighbours.

:15:47. > :15:50.Reconciliation and trust is an important task for the government

:15:50. > :15:54.over future years, and I am sure President Obama will have something

:15:54. > :15:58.to say about that. Think you very much indeed for joining us. From the

:15:58. > :16:01.Waterfront Hall, it is back to you, Noel Thompson. And we are going to

:16:01. > :16:08.stay with these pictures of Air Force One at the international

:16:08. > :16:12.airport. Plenty of water on the airport. Plenty of water on the

:16:12. > :16:17.tarmac there. The security people moving into situation. We have come

:16:17. > :16:21.a long way since Franklin Roosevelt took the first-ever flight by a US

:16:21. > :16:27.President. He flew to take part in a conference with Winston Churchill

:16:27. > :16:34.and other Allied leaders in Morocco in 1943. It took him three days,

:16:34. > :16:39.apparently, to get here, in a Boeing, known as the flying boat. He

:16:39. > :16:44.had to go to South America before flying across the Atlantic.

:16:44. > :16:54.President Obama is a frequent passenger on this Air Force One.

:16:54. > :16:54.

:16:55. > :17:03.There are in fact two. Whichever one he is on of course is Air Force One.

:17:03. > :17:11.And he has been all over the world in it. He has taken hundreds of

:17:11. > :17:16.flights, not just internationally, but within the US as well. If you

:17:16. > :17:26.interesting facts about Air Force One. The President's suite is in the

:17:26. > :17:28.

:17:28. > :17:31.nose, and it has a spacious office. There is a medical facility, an

:17:31. > :17:35.operating table and every medicine known to mankind. Then there is

:17:35. > :17:42.another conference room, accommodation for Secret Service

:17:42. > :17:50.agents. 76 passengers in total. They can watch movies, make calls or even

:17:50. > :17:58.access the internet. I could go on for hours! And we may have two, if

:17:58. > :18:07.it's takes a long time to get out of the plane. You would imagine that

:18:07. > :18:13.the couple have woken up sometimes ago. One of those great care is the

:18:13. > :18:19.situation in Syria. It is thought that that issue might dominate what

:18:19. > :18:23.happens in Fermanagh. We had the meeting in London yesterday between

:18:23. > :18:27.President Putin and David Cameron, two irreconcilable positions there.

:18:27. > :18:32.It is a big headache for the President. I think it is a big

:18:32. > :18:37.headache for the world. But Obama did declare that he would definitely

:18:37. > :18:42.take action if chemical weapons were proven to be used. Very careful

:18:42. > :18:48.wording there. And then what an shoot was indeed evidence. And then

:18:48. > :18:54.there is the matter of, will America intervene, will America stand by and

:18:54. > :18:58.let there be genocide against a group of people again? And I do

:18:58. > :19:04.think the weight of the world can be on the President, but clearly, he

:19:04. > :19:08.must sleep, he must rest, and he must make these good gestures,

:19:08. > :19:14.coming to speak to a hall of young people, and, as you point out,

:19:14. > :19:18.everybody is excited to think about the Kennedy visit to Ireland, 50

:19:18. > :19:22.years ago, or the Clinton visit. Some of my students from Queen's

:19:22. > :19:26.University will be in that hall, and as has been said, they might not

:19:26. > :19:34.even have been born when this Northern Ireland peace process took

:19:34. > :19:39.place. For them, I think Obama does represent something, hope for use,

:19:39. > :19:42.the power of education. Michelle Obama very much believes in that. --

:19:42. > :19:48.for youths. He was a student at Harvard when I was teaching there,

:19:48. > :19:55.and Michelle was at Winston. As a couple, they very much represent the

:19:55. > :20:00.amazement of American education, the rise through the ranks, so, they are

:20:00. > :20:08.a very powerful couple, in what they represent, which is very symbolic.

:20:08. > :20:11.Hopefully some of that charisma can rub off on the other G8 people.

:20:11. > :20:16.Michelle Obama has been very involved with young people and she's

:20:16. > :20:20.got this whole project, for example, about youth obesity and she's really

:20:20. > :20:25.made that a focus of her time as First Lady?

:20:25. > :20:30.And military families. We are witnesses, I think, really historic

:20:30. > :20:35.times with the rise of suicides, the rise of those in young people,

:20:35. > :20:41.veterans. These are issues we all need to address internationally. So

:20:41. > :20:47.even though it's to the great discomfort of President pew meeting

:20:47. > :20:57.with Cameron to look at these issues and try and smile, coming together

:20:57. > :21:00.is a very powerful metaphor -- President Putin. Fionnuala, just

:21:00. > :21:05.looking at the body language yesterday in London, at the news

:21:05. > :21:10.conference, I mean, you said Catherine said coming together, and

:21:10. > :21:14.that's very much what these G8 Summits are supposed to be about,

:21:15. > :21:18.establishing united fronts. What whatever they say about tax, trade,

:21:18. > :21:23.Syria and the divergence of opinion is going to leave something of a bad

:21:23. > :21:26.taste this week? A lot of this the stage management for the people

:21:26. > :21:31.primarily involved and David Cameron pushed it in that meeting with Putin

:21:31. > :21:35.yesterday and he overstepped the mark. He decided to sound very tough

:21:35. > :21:41.and decided to sound as though he could push Putin around and pew, as

:21:41. > :21:46.we all know, you do not do that to. So you got this macho thing back

:21:46. > :21:50.about eating organs and the striking and most shocking thing he could

:21:50. > :21:54.say, which set the thing off to a pretty bad start, I would have

:21:54. > :22:00.thought. Given that Syria was simmering away there, near the top

:22:00. > :22:06.of the agenda, in any case. The cynical and I think very realistic

:22:06. > :22:15.way of looking at G8s is that the G8, it's now the G20 who count.

:22:15. > :22:18.Italy is there as a major economic power. Nobody really thinks G8s

:22:18. > :22:24.produce anything dramatic or concrete any more. The best it can

:22:24. > :22:29.do is nod towards the next meeting, which is the G20 meeting. If tax

:22:29. > :22:34.avoidance comes very far up the list and if there's a strong enough

:22:34. > :22:37.communique, that might produce something. Over to Enniskillen. Our

:22:37. > :22:42.Political Editor, Mark Devonport is looking forward to what is going to

:22:42. > :22:46.be happening there. Mark Hi, Noel. I know you are looking at

:22:47. > :22:50.the pictures there of President Obama's plane, Air Force One, at

:22:50. > :22:56.Belfast International. I have somebody with me who's travelled in

:22:56. > :23:00.that plane many times, Nancy Soderbergh. You would have been on

:23:00. > :23:04.that trip, wouldn't you, when President Clinton first came to

:23:04. > :23:11.Northern Ireland, so you would know what is going on in that plane right

:23:11. > :23:14.now and the preparations? Absolutely in. The front there is a little

:23:14. > :23:17.travelling Oval Office and they'll be going over the President's

:23:18. > :23:22.remarks. Some excitement too, this is his first trip to Northern

:23:22. > :23:28.Ireland. I was on the plane with President Clinton when he came in 95

:23:29. > :23:35.for the historic visit. I'll never forget the crowds at that Belfast

:23:35. > :23:39.City when the President spoke to peace, and people voted for peace

:23:39. > :23:44.that day. The crowd wanted it and knew that peace would hold. I'm here

:23:44. > :23:47.to open the Clinton Centre here today in Enniskillen. The fact that

:23:47. > :23:50.the President is testament to the progress the Irish have made and we

:23:50. > :23:54.are all very proud of that. President Clinton spent a lot of

:23:54. > :24:00.time in Northern Ireland. It was unprecedented in terms of the US

:24:00. > :24:03.administration getting a hands-on involvement. President Obama's been

:24:03. > :24:06.more hands-off, Martin McGuinness making the point they've been there

:24:06. > :24:10.five times and this is his first time here. Do you think the balance

:24:10. > :24:14.is right? Yes. At the time of the beginning of the peace process,

:24:14. > :24:19.President Clinton needed to be very involved, George Mitchell needed to

:24:19. > :24:22.be very involved. The trust on both sides was non-existent so you needed

:24:22. > :24:26.a trusted intermediary, such as the United States, to get them talking

:24:26. > :24:29.to each other. It's appropriate to step back and have the two sides

:24:29. > :24:33.talking it through. They should do it on their own. But President

:24:34. > :24:38.Obama's very committed to doing whatever he needs to keep the peace

:24:38. > :24:42.process going. But it's now up to the parties, the United States

:24:42. > :24:47.strongly supports them, as does the Prime Ministers of both Ireland and

:24:47. > :24:50.Britain, but they need to do it on their own now. Speculation over the

:24:51. > :24:54.weekend about him maybe appointing a US Special Envoy. The White House

:24:54. > :25:00.was playing that down. Do you think those days are gone? Well, I think

:25:00. > :25:06.the need for a full-time day-to-day hands-on manager was essential in

:25:06. > :25:09.the 1990s and today, I think you've got the devolved Government

:25:09. > :25:12.functioning, you have got progress. It's slower than you want to it be

:25:12. > :25:17.with the peace walls still up, the integration is slower than you would

:25:17. > :25:21.like it to be, but they are getting there, the peace is irversible.

:25:21. > :25:25.People should know that the United States, if we need them, are there

:25:25. > :25:29.for us. Thank you very much. I gather the steps are going up to the

:25:29. > :25:33.plane. Noel, you will be chatting us through the last moments. It's

:25:33. > :25:37.pretty vital the staircase is actually securely locked on there in

:25:37. > :25:40.order to allow the President, Michelle and his two daughters to

:25:40. > :25:47.make their way safely on to Northern Ireland terrain. They'll have

:25:47. > :25:51.thought about that, Mark, at some length and they'll not be waiting

:25:51. > :25:56.for the bus to carry them to the terminal, as moat of us have to.

:25:56. > :26:03.These are just the last minutes there. The two daughters coming with

:26:03. > :26:08.the family this time. They'll be going down to Dublin and to Wicklow

:26:08. > :26:15.and with their mother. An exciting time for them. They don't often get

:26:15. > :26:18.to go on these international visits, Catherine, do they? No. When school

:26:18. > :26:23.is out, and many American universities are still in session

:26:23. > :26:27.waiting for graduation here. There's been graduations all across the US.

:26:27. > :26:33.Jubilation on the part of the young people and I'm glad that that's a

:26:33. > :26:38.theme. Indeed, the youth of any country can be its best resource. I

:26:38. > :26:43.think both the Obamas treasure that and bringing their girls to Ireland

:26:43. > :26:48.emphasises that. Very much the whole theme of - not a theme but a reality

:26:48. > :26:52.during this Presidency - has been the centrality of the family. During

:26:52. > :26:56.the whole campaigning, they, Michelle insisted on coming back

:26:56. > :27:00.home as often as she could. There was never being away for a month

:27:00. > :27:05.going around the country, they always came home again and she's

:27:05. > :27:09.said repeatedly how the centrality of her girls to her life has enabled

:27:09. > :27:15.her to think about other children? There's been some criticism of her

:27:16. > :27:21.taking the role, as First Mom, feminists would like her to expand

:27:21. > :27:23.on that, but she was a working mother, she was there for her

:27:23. > :27:26.children as the President was campaigning for the presidency,

:27:26. > :27:31.which is probably as much of a strain as anything on her family

:27:31. > :27:37.life. So, there we are. Oh, and here we have the

:27:37. > :27:44.presidential family. That's the President and Mrs Obama and Sasha

:27:44. > :27:51.and Malia. That's Malia with the President now.

:27:51. > :28:01.Sorry, that's Sasha, the younger one. They are so grown up!

:28:01. > :28:04.

:28:04. > :28:11.Yes. There's Mary Peters. I haven't seen the face of her. I beg your

:28:11. > :28:19.pardon. I was assuming she would be met by the Lord Lieutenant of

:28:19. > :28:27.Belfast, Mary Peters, clearly not. That's not her. A little bit of

:28:27. > :28:33.light conversation there. It's quite warm in the States at the moment?

:28:33. > :28:38.was in the 90s last week in Washington. We are sure that a trip

:28:38. > :28:48.abroad for the family together is really an historic occasion.

:28:48. > :28:51.

:28:51. > :29:01.Wonderful. Get out of the cold! Let them out of the cold!

:29:01. > :29:08.Welcomed by Alan Foster and Michelle O'Neill, the executive ministers.

:29:08. > :29:14.Michelle O'Neill and Eileen Foster, of course. And I'm just wondering if

:29:14. > :29:24.that is the high Sheriff of Belfast, yes, Brian Kingston and his wife

:29:24. > :29:35.

:29:35. > :29:42.greeting the First Minister. wonder what are they saying. It's

:29:42. > :29:46.always like this. Yes. It's so nice. When Michelle Obama was in England,

:29:47. > :29:54.she was criticised a bit for putting hands on the Queen, but I'm sure she

:29:54. > :29:59.thought of her as quite frail, although we know she's very tough.

:29:59. > :30:04.She's just being her gracious self-and there was quite a bit of

:30:04. > :30:14.flak in the press. She's a tall woman as well, isn't she? Tall women

:30:14. > :30:25.

:30:25. > :30:34.I go on a Transatlantic flight. are also looking very J Crew. Mrs

:30:34. > :30:41.Obama Haslett her two daughters find their own style and follow hers.

:30:41. > :30:50.Crew being an outfitter, for those not familiar with the term. It's

:30:50. > :30:53.stylish, going global. Style can be very is international. The wattage

:30:53. > :30:58.the girls can throw with their smiles, they can match their

:30:58. > :31:03.parents, in a way. Nip's even looking at the President. They are

:31:03. > :31:06.all concentrating on the two girls and Michelle.

:31:06. > :31:16.-- no-one's even looking at the President. They are all

:31:16. > :31:19.

:31:19. > :31:25.concentrating on the two girls and A few relaxed moments. The rest of

:31:25. > :31:31.the day will be fringe etick of course, as it always is, in these

:31:31. > :31:37.situations. I suppose the Waterfront is a nice interlude for the

:31:37. > :31:40.President and his family before the serious business for him at least

:31:41. > :31:50.begins at Enniskillen this afternoon. A lot of hard talking to

:31:50. > :31:55.be done. Well dressed girls. Look at the

:31:55. > :32:05.shoes! Stst so marvellous. For the inauguration, the headlines were

:32:05. > :32:10.full of Michelle's new haircut. So we have these kinds of... A lot of

:32:10. > :32:14.touching going on here. Nice to see. They very seldom appear on the world

:32:14. > :32:24.stage. They've been very protected, intentionally so, from all this. So

:32:24. > :32:24.

:32:24. > :32:29.this, I suppose, is a big moment for them. There's the Marine One.

:32:29. > :32:34.Clinton daughter was well protect and now she's a member of the press.

:32:34. > :32:38.She suffered quite a lot, of course, through her childhood I think. Not

:32:38. > :32:45.only for family reasons. But from the press. Yes. She got quite a hard

:32:45. > :32:49.time. We'll all remember that. The many members of the White House

:32:49. > :32:57.press corps, of course, they get off the plane at the back steps, of

:32:57. > :33:02.course. And the Secret Service too. Always, always.

:33:02. > :33:07.Back quickly to Enniskillen and Mark Devonport.

:33:07. > :33:11.Noel, we were just watching the pictures there from International

:33:11. > :33:16.Airport. Obviously, I think they are now going to the do a helicopter

:33:16. > :33:21.transfer into town. I was making the point to somebody that I think the

:33:21. > :33:27.White House let it be known that Sasha had a dance rescietal before

:33:27. > :33:31.she got on the plane -- recital. They would have set off about 3. 30

:33:31. > :33:35.am local time, so they are probably fairly tired at the moment, but it's

:33:35. > :33:39.going to be obviously quite an event I think for the girls as well who

:33:39. > :33:45.'ll probably appear at the Waterfront Hall, alongside all the

:33:45. > :33:49.young people. Michelle Obama will be making the introduction, the opening

:33:49. > :33:53.address before her husband takes to the stage.

:33:53. > :33:57.You seem to be getting better weather in the lakes than they are

:33:57. > :34:01.at the international airport anyway, Mark. That bodes well for whatever

:34:01. > :34:08.tourist potential will emanate from this G8?

:34:08. > :34:14.Yes. Enniskillen's been looking pretty good. It's overcast, but

:34:14. > :34:19.certainly not as bad as the weather that we are seeing on the screens at

:34:19. > :34:23.add orgrove. If it stays this way, it will be impressive. In terms of

:34:23. > :34:26.visits from US dignitaries, what's happening right now, you would

:34:26. > :34:31.contrast with the last visit by the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton,

:34:31. > :34:35.when she arrived here in the teeth of the marching, sorry, the flag

:34:35. > :34:41.dispute involving the storm of the parties. That was quite a difficult

:34:41. > :34:44.farewell visit for her. You might remember she ended up visiting Naomi

:34:44. > :34:47.Long at that stage who was facing a death threat. When the President

:34:47. > :34:51.gets to speak in the Waterfront Hall, he'll make the most of the

:34:51. > :34:56.fact that the DUP and Sinn Fein got their act together in terms o of a

:34:56. > :35:00.shared future and made the announcement. He'll be very much

:35:00. > :35:04.accentuating the positive. Whilst the role of the US is probably less

:35:04. > :35:06.than otherwise would have been the situation under the Clinton

:35:06. > :35:10.administration, it's significant that our politicians decided to get

:35:10. > :35:20.their act together in time for the visit and the G8 when they knew that

:35:20. > :35:27.

:35:28. > :35:30.the global spotlight would be upon there were queues of people, mostly

:35:30. > :35:35.young people, schoolchildren, from right across Northern Ireland, going

:35:35. > :35:39.through security. Literally, it took an hour and a half to get everybody

:35:39. > :35:44.through. It was pretty miserable, drizzly conditions, it has to be

:35:44. > :35:48.said. Just looking across, just outside the High Court in Belfast, a

:35:48. > :35:51.small crowd has gathered, I just wonder if there is a bit of wishful

:35:51. > :35:57.thinking going on, that they might catch a glance of the President and

:35:57. > :36:00.his wife when they arrive. But it is not on the itinerary, any sort of

:36:00. > :36:04.walkabout or handshaking. But certainly some people in Belfast

:36:04. > :36:08.thought it might be worth coming down. Moving on to the children, it

:36:08. > :36:13.is no accident that resident Obama is coming to talk to young people.

:36:13. > :36:21.He is probably going to try to inspire them, but we were speaking

:36:21. > :36:25.to some of them as they came in, and Maggie Taggart has this report. The

:36:25. > :36:29.crowds are waiting outside, nobody has got in yet, but I have managed

:36:29. > :36:39.to find some people who were at the top of the queue. Why have you been

:36:39. > :36:42.allowed to come here? My school is very involved with the whole

:36:42. > :36:49.politics thing, and I am doing my exams, and I was lucky enough to get

:36:49. > :36:53.selected from my class. Was there a lot of competition? Yes, everybody

:36:53. > :36:59.was trying to get into see the President. The next stage in the

:36:59. > :37:03.education world is University - where are you from? I am from

:37:03. > :37:08.Queen's University, Belfast. It is fantastic to be here. I am President

:37:09. > :37:14.of the politics Society. It is great to be here. It is great to see such

:37:14. > :37:19.a big figure as Obama here. There are so many young people here, and

:37:19. > :37:22.it is great to see young people being taken seriously in terms of

:37:22. > :37:27.the political process. What would be your message to him? I think I would

:37:27. > :37:30.say thank you, thank you on behalf of my generation, for America having

:37:30. > :37:36.played a huge role in the peace process in terms of Northern

:37:36. > :37:43.Ireland, the Clintons and the Kennedys, and I am glad that Obama

:37:43. > :37:48.has continued that support. It is great to see him here. Some more

:37:48. > :37:52.early birds from Lurgan College, is that right? Yes. It is great to be

:37:52. > :37:57.here. I cannot believe I have had their chance, and I cannot believe

:37:57. > :38:03.Obama has taken the time. You got a free pass, because you are head girl

:38:03. > :38:08.and had boy? Yes, we thought that was a big enough honour, but to get

:38:08. > :38:12.here, it is one-of-a-kind. I would like to say, it is a great thing for

:38:12. > :38:16.Northern Ireland to have the G8 here. It shows how far we have come.

:38:16. > :38:20.At the end of the day, Northern Ireland is moving forward, and will

:38:20. > :38:24.continue to do so. Especially with our generation, we are interested in

:38:25. > :38:28.moving forward. It will be great to see the President this morning.

:38:28. > :38:38.would just really try that, this will have a bigger impact than

:38:38. > :38:46.

:38:46. > :38:50.anybody could imagine. -- reiterate particular, 16-year-old Hannah

:38:51. > :38:56.Nelson, who will be introducing Michelle Obama onto the stage before

:38:56. > :39:01.Barack Obama makes his speech. So, a big day for her. But let's hear now

:39:01. > :39:08.from Professor Rick Wilford. But this into some kind of previous

:39:08. > :39:12.residential visits. This is the third visit by a serving President.

:39:12. > :39:20.It was preceded by Bill Clinton, who visited twice when he was President,

:39:20. > :39:30.and then George Bush, too fleeting visits. Clinton also had one after

:39:30. > :39:34.he had ceased being President. So in total, it is the six the visit. It

:39:34. > :39:41.was Clinton who got the show on the road initially, and then President

:39:41. > :39:46.Bush, to get it back on the road. But he was much less hands-on than

:39:46. > :39:51.Clinton, in creating a helpful context, which led to St Andrews.

:39:51. > :39:59.So, getting it on the road, getting it back on the road, and now, Obama

:39:59. > :40:03.be trying to keep the momentum going. He is in his second and final

:40:03. > :40:09.term, so he has got no electoral interest himself, so it is probably

:40:09. > :40:13.partly a favour to the British Government, but also because we have

:40:13. > :40:20.got this new economic pact which was announced with the Executive last

:40:20. > :40:23.Friday, among other things, creating special area status. It was the

:40:23. > :40:28.United States is so important as a source of foreign investment in the

:40:28. > :40:32.Northern Ireland economy, I think in that respect, coming on the back of

:40:32. > :40:39.that fact, I think this is going to give this a big momentum. As you

:40:39. > :40:47.said before, there are so many young people here this morning, plus, he

:40:47. > :40:51.is accompanied by his two daughters, so this will be saying to the

:40:51. > :40:53.politicians, you need to keep this on the road, because you have got

:40:53. > :40:58.the younger generation here, full of anticipation and hope for the

:40:58. > :41:03.future. Not least of course his own daughters. And I think that will be

:41:03. > :41:08.the message. It is a nudge in the back for our politicians, to make

:41:08. > :41:12.sure that there are no obvious obstacles towards Northern Ireland

:41:12. > :41:16.to becoming a society which is at ease with itself, and its economy,

:41:16. > :41:20.hopefully, will be able to develop and create employment opportunities

:41:20. > :41:24.for the young generation. When it comes to the choreography of all of

:41:24. > :41:29.this, obviously, from the comments he made on said Patrick 's day, to

:41:29. > :41:33.Downing Street on Friday, it has all been carefully put in place. Yes,

:41:33. > :41:42.there is nothing left to chance with visits like this. Everything is

:41:42. > :41:47.carefully preplanned. Everything will have been made clear to the UK

:41:47. > :41:57.government, and to the politicians here in Northern Ireland. But I

:41:57. > :41:58.

:41:58. > :42:03.think Obama's speech back on St Patrick's Day was all about saying,

:42:03. > :42:12.you need to make progress on a shared future. I think it is no

:42:12. > :42:17.accident that the Shared Future document came out a few weeks ago,

:42:17. > :42:20.and this comes on the back of that. I think President Obama has been

:42:20. > :42:25.instrumental in encouraging progress on that front. So, yes, it will be

:42:25. > :42:34.carefully choreographed, there will not be many things off message, but

:42:34. > :42:37.it is going to give the current policy developers a fair wind, to

:42:37. > :42:42.further encourage politicians along the path towards a shared future.

:42:42. > :42:49.That is where Obama is a particular role, in addition to that of trying

:42:49. > :42:51.to sell Northern Ireland as a place for direct investment. And North

:42:51. > :42:56.America is really important as a source of investment for our

:42:56. > :43:01.economy. When it comes to looking back at the other visits, I suppose

:43:01. > :43:05.Bill Clinton had a pop star status, and I suppose foul and his wife and

:43:05. > :43:14.daughters have that as well. There was certainly a buzz among people I

:43:14. > :43:24.spoke to this morning. Absolutely. Clinton came in 1995 and 1998. That

:43:24. > :43:26.

:43:26. > :43:35.was a time when we had the enormity of the Omagh bombing. Clinton had a

:43:35. > :43:38.very familiar style, and I think there is a view that Obama is a bit

:43:38. > :43:42.more of a lofty figure, because he is much more like an intellectual.

:43:42. > :43:47.He taught law in Chicago for 12 years before becoming a politician.

:43:47. > :43:52.But the fact that the youngsters are coming is a real joy. No doubt there

:43:52. > :44:01.are many who will be taking fashion tips from what the two Obama orders

:44:01. > :44:09.are wearing. -- Obama daughters. But it is just the fact that he has

:44:09. > :44:13.brought the family, although they will not be at Enniskillen, because

:44:13. > :44:15.they are off to Dublin, but nevertheless, the fact that they are

:44:15. > :44:25.here is going to add to that message, that this is about the

:44:25. > :44:26.

:44:26. > :44:31.future. It is kind of symbolic. It is exciting for everyone.

:44:31. > :44:41.Particularly, for schoolchildren, some of whom will be studying

:44:41. > :44:44.

:44:44. > :44:46.politics. American Presidents have celebrity status. Some carry that

:44:46. > :44:54.burden much more likely than others. I think George Bush struggled with

:44:54. > :44:59.it for a variety of reasons. But Clinton and Obama had and have star

:44:59. > :45:06.appeal. I think the fact that he has made this decision to come prior to

:45:06. > :45:12.the G8 discussions I think is really important for the symbolism. This is

:45:12. > :45:18.the most powerful man in the world, and the nuclear trigger will be

:45:18. > :45:22.accompanying him during his stay. I suspect Northern Ireland in itself

:45:22. > :45:32.will not be significantly on the agenda for the G8... There are a lot

:45:32. > :45:36.

:45:36. > :45:41.of other issues, Syria being a particular difficulty. It is

:45:41. > :45:49.interesting, though, you mentioned the politics students, a lot of them

:45:49. > :45:52.are from integrated schools, lots of politics students, but are you

:45:52. > :45:57.surprised perhaps by the lack of protest, if you like, among young

:45:57. > :46:02.people, against the G8? Are we looking inward in Northern Ireland

:46:02. > :46:11.rather than looking at the global stage? There are all kinds of

:46:11. > :46:17.protest is. The people who are exercised by G8 in general, it

:46:17. > :46:20.encompasses such a wide range of organisations, people are concerned

:46:20. > :46:26.about tackling hunger and poverty and health issues, malnutrition,

:46:26. > :46:31.others are anti-system for ideological reasons, but a lot of

:46:31. > :46:38.young people are involved in the NGOs, voluntary organisations, which

:46:38. > :46:48.are involved in delivering services to those abroad who are in real

:46:48. > :46:50.

:46:50. > :46:56.difficulty, in terms of deprivation, hunger and so on. But the mood now,

:46:56. > :47:00.I think the fact that there were very people -- very few people at a

:47:00. > :47:05.rally on Saturday, it would be partly the weather, but also, so

:47:05. > :47:09.many people are struggling in their own lives, with austerity and so on,

:47:09. > :47:18.I doubt they are expecting great things from the G8. Actually, that

:47:18. > :47:22.responsibility is down to us. It is entirely up to the people in

:47:22. > :47:31.Northern Ireland to tackle the underlying structural weaknesses

:47:31. > :47:35.here. Bill Clinton famously said, it is the economy, stupid. But it is

:47:35. > :47:44.the economy for us. We have such a high level of unemployment and

:47:44. > :47:46.economic inactivity. The risk for Northern Ireland is that we export a

:47:46. > :47:53.lot of our human capital because of the lack of employment

:47:53. > :47:57.opportunities. The part of the package which was announced about

:47:57. > :48:05.the 10,000 internship faces, which is fine of itself, but, will there

:48:05. > :48:12.be jobs? That is the key question, isn't it? We will leave it there for

:48:12. > :48:16.the moment. Back to Noel Thompson. Thank you. We will just stay with

:48:16. > :48:20.the pictures from the Waterfront Hall. Apparently, six pupils invited

:48:20. > :48:26.from each of the schools, something like 1500 kids there. Just a quick

:48:26. > :48:32.word of apology to the Lord left tenant of County Antrim, it was she

:48:32. > :48:42.who greeted the milk of its as they walked down from the plane. I did

:48:42. > :48:43.

:48:43. > :48:49.not recognise her. David Cameron arrived in Belfast last night. He of

:48:49. > :48:58.course is the host of the G8 summit. And he has been speaking in

:48:58. > :49:01.Fermanagh this morning about what is on the agenda. I'm delighted to

:49:01. > :49:04.welcome world leaders here to Northern Ireland for the G8 Summit.

:49:04. > :49:08.The agenda is one we have about helping to grow the world together,

:49:08. > :49:11.both the developing countries but both the developing countries but

:49:11. > :49:14.also the developed countries too. We have seized on three areas that can

:49:14. > :49:17.make a difference to hard-working families around the world. Making

:49:18. > :49:20.sure we have more trade deals to keep prices down, making sure we

:49:20. > :49:25.have greater transparency so we can help developing countries get the

:49:25. > :49:29.tax and the revenue they need, and this issue of taxation, making sure

:49:29. > :49:34.we crack down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance so right

:49:34. > :49:38.across the world, countries get the tax revenue needed to keep taxes

:49:38. > :49:42.down for hard-working people. To make sure we can have good health

:49:42. > :49:46.and education systems for all our people. That's what the G8 is about.

:49:46. > :49:52.It's a very strong agenda and I look forward to welcoming everybody here

:49:52. > :49:58.to Northern Ireland to discuss these and other issues too. Big issues

:49:58. > :50:05.indeed. Fionnuala O'Connor is with me still. Talking about tax there.

:50:05. > :50:15.They have their dependencies in for a chat. The Cayman Islands and all

:50:15. > :50:16.

:50:16. > :50:20.the others have said "yeah, yes". get them together and have them say

:50:20. > :50:24.yes of course we'll be more transparent, we'll be more

:50:24. > :50:27.regulated, doesn't really mean anything, but it's the sort of

:50:27. > :50:34.thing, it's the fig leaf that David Cameron had to bring into a meeting

:50:34. > :50:39.like this. Nobody really intends to do anything very drastic. It's just

:50:39. > :50:44.a question of presentation. Has what people might call the

:50:44. > :50:49.Google tax scandal made much of an impression stateside? Well, no. I

:50:49. > :50:53.think the issue, of course, of our being in a brave new world where we

:50:53. > :50:56.are looking at a globalisation, we are looking at companies moving

:50:56. > :51:00.money, moving people, moving businesses, something that I think

:51:00. > :51:04.my students are much more interest and familiar with. If you speak to

:51:04. > :51:09.them about Starbucks and Google being the bad guys, I think they

:51:09. > :51:13.would have a very different view. I find it ironic to talk about taxes

:51:13. > :51:17.because here we are over 200 years later, the British and the Americans

:51:17. > :51:24.having their battles over taxes which I think started a revolution

:51:25. > :51:30.in 1776. Maybe we are looking to 2016 to be a new tax revolution

:51:30. > :51:34.because we do have to think about the prosperity of youth around the

:51:34. > :51:41.world, not just in American companies. But Ireland had a special

:51:42. > :51:47.relationship. It was the capital where Google put its technology, put

:51:47. > :51:50.its idealogy. Ireland is looked at as an economic engine. Remember, the

:51:51. > :51:56.20th century, one out of every two Irish people left the Ireland and a

:51:56. > :52:00.lot of them ended up in America and a lot of them started companies and

:52:00. > :52:04.immigration as is the engine Barack Obama looks to.

:52:04. > :52:10.We have had the Finance Minister accusing the Republic of Stealing

:52:10. > :52:15.our taxes? ! Effectively on being a tax haven. I think that's more DUP

:52:15. > :52:25.presentation because we have various messages coming out at the same time

:52:25. > :52:48.

:52:48. > :52:53.Fermanagh, Arlene spoke within DUP internal politics.

:52:53. > :53:03.For viewers just joining us, we are showing you the Waterfront Hall in

:53:03. > :53:04.

:53:04. > :53:08.Belfast where Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States, and

:53:08. > :53:12.her husband, Barack Obama will be joining us. A full auditorium made

:53:12. > :53:16.up mainly of school children from schools right across Northern

:53:16. > :53:22.Ireland and other members of the great and good of the society, I'm

:53:22. > :53:26.sure. It's mainly going to be focussed on the children. We

:53:26. > :53:32.understand that the President will be talking about the need to work

:53:33. > :53:37.hard to foster an integrated society. These are themes he

:53:37. > :53:43.mentioned in his White House speech earlier this year. They talked about

:53:43. > :53:48.the hard work that needed to be done and the need to reject people who

:53:48. > :53:53.wanted to look backwards always to look forward. He'll address that

:53:53. > :53:58.theme at some length today. He'll be introduced by his wife, Michelle

:53:58. > :54:02.Obama, the First Lady of the United States. She, as we have been

:54:02. > :54:09.discussing in the studio earlier this morning, is very focussed on

:54:09. > :54:13.young people. She's done a lot of work in her five year, in the White

:54:13. > :54:16.House with young people and continues to do that to make it her

:54:16. > :54:25.priority. Very fitting she should be here to address this gathering of

:54:25. > :54:30.young people. The President arrived about 40 minutes ago. He arrived at

:54:30. > :54:34.the international airport Aldergrove, then transferred to the

:54:34. > :54:38.Air Force helicopter, Marine One, which is taking him to the City

:54:38. > :54:42.Airport. From there, there 'll be a motorcade to the Waterfront. So we

:54:42. > :54:46.are not quite sure how all that is progressing. As soon as we have live

:54:46. > :54:50.pictures of any of that journey, we'll bring them to you. My

:54:50. > :54:53.colleague, Tara Mills... Oh, Catherine you wanted to say

:54:53. > :54:56.something? Some other interviewers and speakers have been talking about

:54:56. > :55:01.the image of Northern Ireland and Belfast. I want to point out in the

:55:01. > :55:05.last few years, the MTV Worthington Cup awards have been in Belfast. The

:55:05. > :55:11.spotlight has been on Belfast in different ways. If you ask people

:55:11. > :55:17.about the past or their image, the Game of Thrones is filmed here, we

:55:17. > :55:22.had another film being done in Enniskillen with Colin Farrell, so

:55:22. > :55:27.there's a new image that's been going forward that Mrs Clinton, as

:55:27. > :55:30.Secretary of State, appointed Declan Kelly to come over and drum up

:55:30. > :55:36.business. The young people are looking to Belfast in a different

:55:36. > :55:44.way. You are mentioning Northern Ireland, but I think Belfast as a

:55:44. > :55:52."capital of Europe" has been a centre with good craic.

:55:52. > :55:59.What about Londonderry? Well, let's join Tara at the Waterfront. Tara.

:55:59. > :56:02.Thanks, Noel. Just taking a look at the pictures. There are pictures

:56:02. > :56:06.everywhere, Facebook and Twitter must be going overboard at the

:56:06. > :56:10.minute. A lot of anticipation about this visit and the young people here

:56:10. > :56:14.in the room won't remember the previous presidential visits,

:56:14. > :56:19.particularly the first one of President Clinton back in 1995.

:56:19. > :56:29.Let's look back at the previous presidential visits.

:56:29. > :56:31.

:56:31. > :56:35.Four, three, two, one... We remain Americans. As people of

:56:35. > :56:40.Northern Ireland, partners for security, partners for prosperity

:56:41. > :56:46.and, most important, partners for peace.

:56:46. > :56:52.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE It's thanks to Bill Clinton and the

:56:52. > :56:56.peace process that Northern Ireland has become a go-to location for US

:56:56. > :57:00.Presidents. It's 18 years since he first visited our shores, a year

:57:00. > :57:07.after the first IRA and loyalist ceasefires. In Derry in particular,

:57:08. > :57:11.he got the reception of a pop star rather than a politician.

:57:12. > :57:18.Standing here in front of the Guild Hall looking out over these historic

:57:18. > :57:23.walls, I see a peaceful city, a safe city, a hopeful city full of young

:57:23. > :57:28.people that should have a peaceful and prosperous future here where

:57:28. > :57:36.their roots and families are. That is what I see today with you.

:57:36. > :57:43.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE It was a meticulously planned visit

:57:43. > :57:53.with both sides at all-times represented and included.

:57:53. > :57:54.

:57:54. > :58:01.Now, ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States...

:58:01. > :58:06.Here in Northern Ireland, you are making a miracle.

:58:06. > :58:11.But it was a much more sombre occasion on his second trip. It

:58:11. > :58:14.followed the Real IRA bomb in Omagh. He mingled with the crowds weeks

:58:14. > :58:18.after the bomb ripped the town apart. As much as Northern Ireland

:58:19. > :58:23.seemed to welcome Clinton with open arms, it also appeared to be one of

:58:24. > :58:27.his favourite stages. The adulation and welcome he and his wife received

:58:27. > :58:33.was obviously hard to ignore. His commitment to the peace process was

:58:33. > :58:37.beyond question. He mastered the detail and knowledge of the key

:58:37. > :58:44.players, but it gave him respite from one crisis after another back

:58:44. > :58:48.home. His visits including his final one in 2000 always seemed to

:58:48. > :58:52.coincide with a push at vital stages of the peace process. When he said

:58:52. > :58:57.his goodbyes in 2000, it was thought Air Force One would no longer be

:58:57. > :59:03.flying in. But, by 2003, the US had a new President and he popped by,

:59:03. > :59:08.not once but twice. I'm impressed by the progress that

:59:08. > :59:12.is being made toward peace and reconciliation. Matter-of-fact, the

:59:12. > :59:17.world is impressed by the progress being made towards peace and

:59:17. > :59:22.reconciliation. I want you to know that the President plays his part in

:59:22. > :59:27.this. After a troupe to the republic two years ago, President Obama is

:59:27. > :59:30.following in the foot steps of his predecessors. -- trip to the

:59:30. > :59:34.republic. No American President can resist a trip here.

:59:34. > :59:38.We were just reflecting here, most of the young people in the

:59:38. > :59:48.Waterfront today would not have been born at that first visit of

:59:48. > :59:50.

:59:50. > :59:58.President Clinton. Many of them not even for the second visit,

:59:58. > :00:01.Fionnuala? Lot don't remember how it began or even ended, the technical

:00:01. > :00:06.peace process that you could say finished in 1998 with the Good

:00:06. > :00:12.Friday Agreement. That's way beyond young people's memory. But for us,

:00:12. > :00:17.looking at shots of Clinton, it's fascinating to remember as well that

:00:17. > :00:22.he originally came against a backdrop of considerable suspicion

:00:22. > :00:26.and dislike. He made that welcome that now exists for Barack Obama.

:00:26. > :00:32.That was Clinton's creation. It was part of the peace process that he

:00:32. > :00:36.came to be seen as impartial and as a man of goodwill to the whole of

:00:36. > :00:41.Northern Ireland. He was getting a lot out of it himself. He was using

:00:41. > :00:48.it as a useful distraction later on from the Monica Lewinsky affair. He

:00:48. > :00:52.gave it his all and his listening, anybody who saw it in the

:00:52. > :00:57.Springfield in the factory when he managed to simultaneously project

:00:57. > :01:02.goodwill and listen to everybody and come up with wonderful well-tuned

:01:02. > :01:09.speeches. The speech and the presentation began as he touched

:01:09. > :01:17.down. At the time, I remember us, the media, got a screen of script

:01:17. > :01:21.from Air Force One which was of a press conference on board.

:01:21. > :01:26.Catherine, President Clinton had an extraordinary ability to relate to

:01:26. > :01:32.people in a way that George W just really didn't have, or we didn't see

:01:32. > :01:35.much of that? He was actually a very different man, George W, than the

:01:35. > :01:39.man projected on the international stage. As a President representing

:01:39. > :01:44.the country, he just didn't have that ease of communication that Bill

:01:44. > :01:49.Clinton had? No. The connections. I think Barack Obama has shown,

:01:49. > :01:54.especially recently since his re-election that he can be at ease.

:01:54. > :01:58.Many of his speeches recently giving an immigration speech, a mobile

:01:58. > :02:04.phone went off and he made a joke about it. I think he has come into

:02:04. > :02:07.his own in some ways. Clearly, you can see with his body language that

:02:07. > :02:13.he's embracing that. People see that. He wanted to speak to the

:02:13. > :02:17.young. He wants to make a connection with youth. I think he's an

:02:17. > :02:20.emboatiment of that, a youthful President, in many ways, with a

:02:20. > :02:25.young family, connecting with another President of the 20th

:02:25. > :02:30.century, JFK. Third President in a row to win a second term, of course,

:02:30. > :02:37.both Clinton, George W and now President Obama. This is

:02:37. > :02:44.traditionally a lame duck President then, you know, a year into a second

:02:44. > :02:48.term. Just trying to bring about his legacy and think about that and

:02:48. > :02:52.maybe not succeeding in very much? There is a bit of rein-I

:02:52. > :02:59.havingration that he's making appointments. Samantha Power, who's

:02:59. > :03:09.written about genocide and Susan Rice, so he's flexing his muscles to

:03:09. > :03:19.step on to the international stage -- rein-I havingration.

:03:19. > :03:19.

:03:19. > :03:25.Medical care has been brought to many Americans. He's got that. He's

:03:25. > :03:32.been a big disappointment in human rights terms. Been defeated in gun

:03:32. > :03:36.control. A huge issue. Youth and guns is a huge problem. Certainly

:03:36. > :03:40.the question of destablisation and the delivery of health care, mental

:03:40. > :03:44.health care, is something very much connected to guns. Maybe the

:03:44. > :03:50.delivery of more health care to our congress members who can see that

:03:50. > :03:54.there is a shooting in Santa Monica, the anniversary of the New Town

:03:54. > :03:58.shootings. People are talking ability these issues. And, can we

:03:58. > :04:03.use his power during this presidency, because indeed, he's not

:04:03. > :04:10.seeking re-election. I think we can pick up the cameras. Some pictures

:04:10. > :04:18.there from the shipyard, the cavalcade making its way. It's a big

:04:18. > :04:21.cavalcade, isn't it? Are they all presidential cars? ! And, some

:04:21. > :04:27.ordinary motorists may have gotten caught up in it. Althoerks I thawns

:04:27. > :04:32.the bypass has been closed. -- although, I understand that the

:04:32. > :04:40.bypass has been closed. Some trains were delayed for a short while

:04:40. > :04:46.earlier because of protests. Also major disruption to roads. If

:04:46. > :04:50.nothing else, the President's got us all out of bed earlier because the

:04:50. > :05:00.roads at 7 were normally like they are at 8. If nothing else, the

:05:00. > :05:05.

:05:05. > :05:13.that there is nobody else in the Hilton, except the Secret Service.

:05:13. > :05:18.Everybody else was ferried off to another hotel this morning.

:05:18. > :05:22.Queen's University closed over the weekend, in anticipation of the

:05:22. > :05:27.protest right next door, which was actually a concert, and was actually

:05:27. > :05:32.peaceful. So, it is nice to see that some of the anticipated disruption

:05:32. > :05:37.is instead going to result in music and goodwill. In other words,

:05:37. > :05:42.looking places down is preventative, and we need to think about the way

:05:42. > :05:52.in which, not that it is not important to be careful, but I think

:05:52. > :05:56.some of the goodwill might be rubbing off now. What do you think -

:05:56. > :06:06.I mean, peaceful protest is a good thing, any democratic society will

:06:06. > :06:07.

:06:07. > :06:12.agree - but is it as a ball to underestimate the kind of feeling

:06:12. > :06:20.there is about this? Is Northern Ireland too far away from the rest

:06:20. > :06:26.of protesters in the UK? Or everybody? I presume the protesters

:06:26. > :06:30.could not muster people from abroad. I presume the Occupy wave of protest

:06:30. > :06:36.just could not stretch itself to get over here. There is the little

:06:36. > :06:41.matter of water, either flights or ferries. Any sense that Fermanagh

:06:41. > :06:45.might have been chosen for its distance... ? Of course, it was not

:06:45. > :06:52.just a scenic backdrop, as I was trying to say earlier on, but it was

:06:52. > :06:59.remote. It is Gleneagles with a moat around it. It really is like that if

:06:59. > :07:05.you think about it. Let's go back to the Waterfront, to join Tara.

:07:05. > :07:08.we have just been watching the cavalcade going past. Joining me now

:07:08. > :07:14.is Naomi Long, the MP for East Belfast. What does this mean for

:07:14. > :07:17.Belfast? It is a huge opportunity for Northern Ireland as a whole, in

:07:17. > :07:21.terms of promoting ourselves on the world stage. What will really matter

:07:21. > :07:26.is the legacy left behind, not just for Northern Ireland, but the global

:07:26. > :07:31.legacy. I want to see some positive moves coming out of the G8 in terms

:07:31. > :07:35.of trying to deal with world hunger and issues like tax transparency.

:07:35. > :07:39.These affect people in developing nations so much more than they

:07:39. > :07:43.affect us. That would be a huge positive for Northern Ireland.

:07:43. > :07:47.the history of the last six months or so, it is difficult, so how big

:07:47. > :07:52.an impact do you think it will have? In terms of what has happened

:07:52. > :07:56.today, with President Obama coming here, speaking to a packed house, I

:07:56. > :07:59.think that is a really positive thing. It shows the Americans are

:07:59. > :08:05.still really interested in the peace process here in Northern Ireland. I

:08:05. > :08:09.think we should take heart from that. It is important to have

:08:09. > :08:12.influential friends, and we have to capitalise on that and put a

:08:12. > :08:17.positive front out for Northern Ireland, after what has been a

:08:17. > :08:20.difficult year for us. How important do you think Friday's announcement

:08:20. > :08:26.was from Downing Street, to keep encouraging companies to invest

:08:26. > :08:32.here? It is hugely important. I was part of a cross-party delegation in

:08:32. > :08:37.Westminster. We have to be able to get that investment and support.

:08:37. > :08:43.That is part of the package. But for me, the most important part is how

:08:43. > :08:46.the money will be spent. I want to see it spent on things which will

:08:46. > :08:49.increase sharing, integration and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

:08:49. > :08:59.The ability will make a contribution to our future more than anything

:08:59. > :08:59.

:08:59. > :09:03.else. Obviously, the Shared Future document has not been

:09:04. > :09:07.straightforward, and you have been cynical about that... I do not think

:09:07. > :09:12.we have been cynical, we have been questioning. We want to be positive

:09:12. > :09:17.and construct. We want them to put some flesh on the bones of what they

:09:17. > :09:20.have set out. It is probably the most important political project

:09:20. > :09:27.that the Northern Ireland Assembly will have to deal with, and we have

:09:27. > :09:30.to get it right. What is the atmosphere like outside the gym at

:09:30. > :09:39.quite excitable, quite tense. Everybody is looking forward to the

:09:39. > :09:45.main man arriving. He does have a star quality, just like President

:09:45. > :09:49.Clinton had, and of course, many of the young people here in the hall

:09:49. > :09:55.today were not even born when President Clinton came? Well, I

:09:55. > :10:03.managed to hear President Clinton, so I have some comparator, and I

:10:03. > :10:07.thought he was marvellous. I heard President Obama speak in Westminster

:10:07. > :10:10.last year, and it was a fantastic experience. I hope the young people

:10:10. > :10:12.here today will have a memory to take away with them for many years

:10:12. > :10:16.to come. If you were looking at the witches of the gentleman in the

:10:17. > :10:24.salmon jacket, that is Pete Snowden, the DJ, who has been given the job

:10:24. > :10:29.of warming up the crowd. -- the pictures. Down in Fermanagh, Mark

:10:29. > :10:35.Devenport awaits. We have had the Japanese Prime Minister and David

:10:35. > :10:41.Cameron already arriving - what time does everything kicked off properly

:10:41. > :10:45.this afternoon? Well, after President Obama has made his speech

:10:45. > :10:48.at the Waterfront, he is going to come down to meet David Cameron. I

:10:48. > :10:55.think they may have one engagement in this neck of the woods, and then

:10:55. > :11:02.they will be moving towards the proper business end of the whole

:11:02. > :11:05.day. The big question here is, will Vladimir Putin take a splash in the

:11:05. > :11:09.waters of Loch earn? That is the sort of thing that the Russian

:11:09. > :11:19.leader has been famed for doing in other parts of the world. There have

:11:19. > :11:20.

:11:20. > :11:23.been all sorts of rumours knocking around. And apparently, we hear that

:11:23. > :11:33.David Cameron is going to swim in the swimming pool in the Loch Erne

:11:33. > :11:33.

:11:33. > :11:43.resort. Mind you, I did read that John Quincy Adams went

:11:43. > :11:46.skinny-dipping in the River Potomac! Well, as soon as you have

:11:46. > :11:55.finished chatting to me, I am off over the balcony, down into the

:11:55. > :11:58.water! I hope the police, and fish me out. I would not name David

:11:59. > :12:03.Cameron for going for the heated swimming pool! But in terms of the

:12:03. > :12:12.actual summit, I think in mid-afternoon, they will get down to

:12:12. > :12:15.the main business. As we have been hearing already, a lot of work has

:12:15. > :12:23.already been done in terms of the issues to do with tax and trade. It

:12:23. > :12:27.is done by officials, who are referred to as Sherpas. Just like

:12:27. > :12:31.the Sherpas going up Mount Everest, they do all the hard work for the

:12:31. > :12:37.leaders. But there is one thing that these Sherpas which will not be able

:12:38. > :12:42.to crack, which will be the war in Syria. You could probably give these

:12:42. > :12:47.leaders as much hospitality as you like, but they are not there to

:12:47. > :12:53.change their differing views on that. One of the big issues is free

:12:53. > :12:58.trade between the US and Europe, something which some people might be

:12:58. > :13:03.surprised that this did not happen many years ago, but there are still

:13:03. > :13:08.many barriers in that relationship... ? Yes, both the

:13:08. > :13:12.European Union and the USA say that this could add billions to their

:13:12. > :13:17.collective wealth, if they come up with a free trade agreement. But

:13:17. > :13:24.what always happens with these kind of incidents is that it seems like a

:13:24. > :13:27.no-brainer, when you get into the nitty-gritty of it, people look for

:13:28. > :13:31.particular advantages for their own economies, and they are worried

:13:32. > :13:35.about getting undercut in one sector or another. It is a similar issue in

:13:35. > :13:42.relation to tax. Again, it seems like something where all governments

:13:42. > :13:47.would seek to have full transparency, so that governments

:13:47. > :13:50.can start getting some tax income in, but again, the problem is, you

:13:50. > :13:56.get down to that business of countries competing. Of course, we

:13:56. > :14:00.know about that, because one of the big policy options which the

:14:00. > :14:10.Executive has been looking at has been trying to compete with the

:14:10. > :14:10.

:14:10. > :14:14.Irish Republic's level of corporation tax. The President will

:14:14. > :14:18.be addressing hundreds of excited if slightly more sleepy than usual

:14:18. > :14:25.children at the Watergate all this morning. Our correspondence was at

:14:25. > :14:29.one school when the children find out who would be going along.

:14:29. > :14:33.Schools all over Northern Ireland must have been excited to get these

:14:33. > :14:38.invitations. 1500 pupils were offered places for this very special

:14:38. > :14:42.appointment. This integrated College in North Belfast was given pupils

:14:42. > :14:52.for teachers and pupils. But how to share them out? A list of selected

:14:52. > :15:04.

:15:04. > :15:10.names was chosen from Stars & it will be a really good

:15:10. > :15:15.opportunity. The first one to come out of the box - what were you

:15:15. > :15:22.thinking? Hopes were going down, but you always think positively. And it

:15:22. > :15:26.was also a perk for the head boy and head girl. I found out last Monday,

:15:26. > :15:33.and it was just a phenomenal experience, thinking, you are going

:15:33. > :15:37.to see Obama, one of the most powerful men in the world. Yes, the

:15:37. > :15:42.same, I found out just before Stephen and I went and told him. I

:15:42. > :15:47.was so excited. It is a wonderful opportunity, not just for us but for

:15:47. > :15:51.the other 16 students who have been picked out. The word is that

:15:51. > :15:55.teachers had to be barred from putting in multiple entries. I could

:15:55. > :16:05.not say, but there was one certainty chew, whose name was in the ballot

:16:05. > :16:15.

:16:15. > :16:24.box six times. Need I say any more? happening at the Waterfront. Not

:16:24. > :16:26.very much so far. But those 1500 or so school pupils and the several

:16:26. > :16:33.hundred other people have been sitting very patiently for the last

:16:33. > :16:39.hour or so, waiting for the arrival of the President and First Lady, and

:16:39. > :16:44.the two children, Malia and Sasha. We hear that they have been tweeting

:16:44. > :16:54.and 16 like crazy, and their telephones will be in evidence in

:16:54. > :17:04.

:17:04. > :17:10.huge numbers when the President appears. -- tweeting and text

:17:10. > :17:15.texting like crazy. Schools from all over Northern Ireland joining in. We

:17:15. > :17:22.have seen shots of the presidential cavalcade making its way from the

:17:22. > :17:26.City Airport. A force one touched down at the international airport,

:17:26. > :17:33.about one hour and ten minutes ago. Security in evidence of course in

:17:33. > :17:43.every element. We have got the water police checking things out from that

:17:43. > :17:47.

:17:47. > :17:54.level. And a huge police presence, a lot of people in Belfast leaving

:17:55. > :18:04.home an hour earlier today. But the economy is such that you cannot say,

:18:04. > :18:09.just take the day off. That would be nice! Well, some people have been

:18:09. > :18:19.told, in city centre businesses, that senior workers should work from

:18:19. > :18:20.

:18:20. > :18:23.home, and everybody else has got the day off. I heard that from one

:18:23. > :18:32.institution, it was not exactly a business, it was an educational

:18:32. > :18:37.establishment. So, off they went with their laptops. Well, it will

:18:37. > :18:42.not last very long. The formalities at the Waterfront might take even

:18:42. > :18:52.less than an hour. I can hear cheering, something is happening.

:18:52. > :18:55.

:18:55. > :19:00.Somebody has seen something! False alarm! . Probably the caretaker.

:19:00. > :19:06.There will be an introduction from 16-year-old Hannah Nelson, a pupil

:19:06. > :19:09.at Methodist College. A short speech of introduction. Then we'll have the

:19:09. > :19:12.First Lady, Michelle Obama, who 'll make a short address. People

:19:12. > :19:22.standing up now, that will be followed by the President, Barack

:19:22. > :19:28.Obama. So something seems to be happening. I see people standing up.

:19:28. > :19:32.Is it a false alarm? They can't be that far away. I'm sure it was ten

:19:32. > :19:36.minutes ago when we saw the cavalcade. I'm sure there are

:19:36. > :19:41.introductions to be made. Martin McGuinness is at the Waterfront. I

:19:41. > :19:44.presume the First Minister may also be there as well. They'll be

:19:44. > :19:49.renewing old acquaintances. As Mr McGuinness said, they've been five

:19:49. > :19:56.times to the White House for St Patrick's Day with Mr Obama. No-one

:19:56. > :20:01.as Irish as Barack Obama. The great American on St Patrick's Day. The

:20:01. > :20:06.parades begin in New York City. We are glad that Dublin joined in with

:20:06. > :20:10.its large celebrations. I've been here in Belfast for some parades and

:20:11. > :20:16.celebrations. It was good to see.

:20:16. > :20:22.I led the St Patrick's Day parade in New York, well, Gerry Adams led it,

:20:22. > :20:32.I was standing beside him. Everyone was saying "who's that with Gerry? !

:20:32. > :20:33.

:20:33. > :20:37.". ". I like when Martin McGuinness said "we've been five times to his

:20:37. > :20:45.place" rather than the White House. Old acquaintances to be renewed

:20:45. > :20:49.there. You can see the screens. Although you talked about the

:20:49. > :20:54.Twittering, the Facebooking, there is an intensity and excitement of

:20:54. > :20:57.being there. I know for the inauguration, in 50 years, there 'll

:20:57. > :21:02.be many more people who claim to have been there. But it's a moment

:21:02. > :21:06.in time that you talked about. I still ran into people who talked

:21:06. > :21:10.about being there when Clinton gave a speech in the city centre. I hope

:21:11. > :21:16.these students will go forward with the sense of hope that the President

:21:16. > :21:20.hopes to impart about the future here in Belfast.

:21:21. > :21:27.Wasn't it a fact I read somewhere that more groups applied to come to

:21:27. > :21:34.the inAugust inAugust inauguration than ever before? There was a

:21:34. > :21:41.massive turnout for the inAugust race. Millions of people? And such

:21:41. > :21:46.excitement. There was a sense that it was his winning, the people's

:21:46. > :21:49.choice and it was certainly an outpouring and celebration,

:21:49. > :21:53.especially of African-Americans who really could confirm that this

:21:53. > :21:58.wasn't a one-term President. It was a politician supported by all the

:21:58. > :22:01.people. Certainly an historic African-American President. Has a

:22:01. > :22:07.distinction of having given the Presidential oath four times, of

:22:07. > :22:12.course. He did it the first time in his first election. Then one to have

:22:12. > :22:17.Supreme Court judges made a mistake. John Roberts. He had to do it again.

:22:17. > :22:21.He was a new Chief Justice. Fair enough. Anyway, he had to do it

:22:21. > :22:25.twice. After the second election, second inauguration, because it's

:22:25. > :22:29.traditionally done on the 20th and 20th was a Sunday that time, so they

:22:29. > :22:37.had to do it on a Monday, but there was a private inauguration on the

:22:37. > :22:42.Sunday in the White House, so again, President Obama did it. Four hours.

:22:42. > :22:46.If you didn't hear it the first time, you caught it the second. The

:22:46. > :22:53.Bibles are always something that he uses, the Lincoln Bibles. It's an

:22:53. > :22:57.amazing year. We, in America, hope that Barack Obama might attend the

:22:57. > :23:03.150th anniversary of the get Isberg address, the moving ceremony on the

:23:03. > :23:09.field. This is a year of the 1250thsen teenial of the Civil War,

:23:09. > :23:19.something I think bringing together to people in a several war is

:23:19. > :23:20.

:23:20. > :23:25.something historic -- 150th centenial. An intersection of many

:23:25. > :23:32.of these moments of commemoration here in a City of Belfast, very

:23:32. > :23:38.historic. The decade of remembrance, isn't it,

:23:38. > :23:42.Fionnuala? It's been a long, drawn-out antically climax. I don't

:23:42. > :23:48.think anybody hoped we'd get through it with less than trouble or

:23:48. > :23:55.back-biting, but actually there's been less interest than we thought.

:23:55. > :24:01.Barack Obama also of course used a Bible used by Martin Luther king,

:24:01. > :24:06.another link to the past. I think we are looking at the camera focussing

:24:06. > :24:13.occasionally on good-looking young women, how some of the pupils here

:24:13. > :24:18.have managed to turn up not in uniform, but in their very best

:24:18. > :24:23.pretty dresses. I wonder if there might be sixth formers, formal

:24:23. > :24:29.school ends before exams - I'm guessing - but that perhaps is why.

:24:29. > :24:38.There you go. Phones and cameras at the ready.

:24:38. > :24:43.Will they all remember to turn them off? !

:24:43. > :24:50.Why are have we been asked to stand so early? I was wondering whether

:24:50. > :25:00.that might be a choir or something, a musical welcome. We nope flash

:25:00. > :25:03.

:25:03. > :25:13.mobs will erupt. The protesters I was hoping to see more of.

:25:13. > :25:13.

:25:13. > :25:23.knitting protest? Yes. They were nowhere to be seen. I understand

:25:23. > :25:24.

:25:24. > :25:28.that one woman I saw quoted in the paper today is going to attach some

:25:28. > :25:32.knitted epaulettes to the fencing. So they are in evidence, perhaps not

:25:32. > :25:40.at the Waterfront, but certainly down in Fermanagh, yes. I don't know

:25:40. > :25:50.how many of them. If they are in one of the four tents that we understand

:25:50. > :25:50.

:25:50. > :25:54.have been put up in the protest field. Maybe they are tired from

:25:54. > :25:58.2012 and just taking a well-deserved breath. Maybe they are listening to

:25:58. > :26:00.Martin McGuinness who appealed in the Rose Garden of Downing Street

:26:00. > :26:05.for people to demonstrate in peaceful, responsible fashion.

:26:05. > :26:11.That's very sweet of them. That sums it all up. There's the former leader

:26:11. > :26:13.of the IRA getting instructions on how protests should be held. Not

:26:13. > :26:18.that these protesters would be listening to them, but it's an

:26:18. > :26:25.indication of how things have been changed. President Obama's

:26:25. > :26:28.apparently read every Harry Potter book, I'm told. Probably with his

:26:28. > :26:32.daughters. Reading with children is something that both the Obamas

:26:32. > :26:40.encourage. They take an active interest in seeing their daughters

:26:40. > :26:50.get the best of all culture. Sleepovers, pop concerts. He also

:26:50. > :26:51.

:26:51. > :26:55.collects spiderman and Cona the Barbarian cometic books, I'm told.

:26:55. > :26:59.There is a nice quite where he said, in terms of the speculation about

:26:59. > :27:05.his birth certificate and was he an American citizen, he said, actually

:27:05. > :27:08.I was not born in a manger, I was born in krypton. He said, my

:27:08. > :27:13.greatest strength is my hue my opinion till, the greater weakness,

:27:13. > :27:20.perhaps I'm a little too awesome. sense of humour. And here comes

:27:20. > :27:24.Hannah to introduce the morning's festivities. Hannah Nelson from

:27:24. > :27:27.Methodist College. Good morning, my name is Hannah Nelson, I'm 16 years

:27:27. > :27:33.old and I'm from Belfast. I've been thinking about an important

:27:33. > :27:37.question. How do you Makepeace permanent in Northern Ireland?

:27:37. > :27:42.Permanent peace in our country is not just a simple dream for me as a

:27:42. > :27:47.teenager growing up today in Northern Ireland. It's a sincere,

:27:47. > :27:52.genuine aspiration. I believe that enduring peace can

:27:53. > :27:57.only come about through true respect for others. We all have a right to

:27:57. > :28:02.express and celebrate our diverse cultures. We all have an obligation

:28:02. > :28:06.to value each other as individuals. As a 16-year-old, I don't want to

:28:06. > :28:11.live in the past. I want to live for the future.

:28:11. > :28:15.I want to live in a country where it's not my religion that is

:28:15. > :28:21.important, but my value as a person which is significant.

:28:21. > :28:25.It's important that we all have a unique identity, a choice in life to

:28:25. > :28:30.choose who and what we want to be. We are growing up in a world where

:28:30. > :28:34.we are taught to be tolerant, to live peacefully we must put this

:28:34. > :28:39.into practice. We must accept our differences if we are to move

:28:39. > :28:44.forward. I think that my age group should be the focus. We are the ones

:28:44. > :28:47.who must build new relationships with people from different

:28:47. > :28:53.communities, barriers need to be broken down.

:28:53. > :28:58.If we are to take away prejudice from young people's mind, we can

:28:58. > :29:04.create a society that can get on together. A peaceful society.

:29:05. > :29:08.Northern Ireland is my home. The reality is, it has a past. Often in

:29:08. > :29:14.Northern Ireland, we hear about our past. People have many genuine

:29:14. > :29:18.stories and they are definitely what make our history so important.

:29:18. > :29:23.But truthfully, we should not let the past pull us apart and stop us

:29:23. > :29:28.from moving forward. Somehow, we need to make a brighter

:29:28. > :29:32.future, a future that builds bridges and brings people together. We need

:29:32. > :29:38.to work together, not apart. We need to listen to each other and

:29:38. > :29:42.we need to compromise. Most importantly, we need to clearly

:29:42. > :29:46.value each other. Peace is not easy and it takes a lot of work to make

:29:46. > :29:52.it happen. I think that it's easy for some to

:29:52. > :29:57.sit back and hold on to the past. For peace to an actual reality,

:29:57. > :30:03.however, we all need to take responsibility from the present.

:30:03. > :30:08.Our past, our future. It is all about time. It is in the present

:30:08. > :30:13.time that we really need to be responsible, accountable people and

:30:13. > :30:19.live to make a better future for ourselves. There is no time like the

:30:19. > :30:24.present. Now is the time to start making permanent peace happen in

:30:24. > :30:29.Northern Ireland because we, the young people in this room, want and

:30:30. > :30:37.deserve to live in peace. Northern Ireland is my home. But the reality

:30:37. > :30:41.is, it has a future. Now, please join me in welcoming the First Lady

:30:41. > :30:51.of the United States, Michelle Obama.

:30:51. > :31:19.

:31:20. > :31:24.Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much.

:31:24. > :31:29.Good morning. Oh, what an honour. Good morning, everyone.

:31:29. > :31:32.First of all, let me thank Hannah for that very bold and wonderful

:31:32. > :31:37.introduction. And, of course, I want to thank all

:31:37. > :31:41.of you for being here today. It is such a pleasure to be here in

:31:41. > :31:46.Belfast and, as you might imagine, whenever we travel to places like

:31:46. > :31:52.this or anywhere else in the world, we've got a pretty packed schedule.

:31:52. > :31:55.We are meeting with Presidents and Prime Ministers and First Ladies, we

:31:56. > :31:59.are visiting historical sites and attending state dinners and my

:31:59. > :32:04.husband has been spending hours trying to make progress on global

:32:04. > :32:09.issues from trade to international security. But whenever we go, no

:32:09. > :32:15.matter what's on hour plate, we always do our best to meet with

:32:15. > :32:19.young people just like all of you. In fact, you all might just very

:32:19. > :32:27.well be some of the most important people that we talk to during our

:32:27. > :32:31.visits. Because in just a couple of decades, you will be the ones in

:32:31. > :32:35.charge. Yes indeed you will be in charge of shaping our future with

:32:35. > :32:40.your passion, energy and ideas. So, when I look around this room, I

:32:40. > :32:45.don't just see a bunch of teenagers, I see the people who 'll be moving

:32:45. > :32:51.our world forward in the years ahead. And that's why we wanted to

:32:51. > :32:56.be here today. Let me tell you, when I was your age, I never dreamed that

:32:56. > :33:00.I would be standing here as First Lady of the United States. I know

:33:00. > :33:05.that my husband never thought he'd be President either.

:33:05. > :33:10.Neither of us grew up with much money, neither of my parents went to

:33:10. > :33:14.university, Barack's father left his family when he was just two years

:33:14. > :33:19.old, he was raised by a single mom, and all along the way, there were

:33:19. > :33:23.plenty of people who doubted that kids like us had what it took to

:33:24. > :33:30.succeed. People who told us not to hope for

:33:30. > :33:35.too much or set our sights too high. But Barack and I refused to let

:33:35. > :33:41.other people define us. Instead, we held tight to those values we were

:33:41. > :33:47.raised with. Things like honesty, hard work, a commitment to our

:33:47. > :33:51.education. We did our best to be open to others, to give everyone we

:33:51. > :33:58.met a Fair Shake, no matter who they were or where they came from.

:33:58. > :34:02.And we soon realised that the more we lived by those values, the more

:34:02. > :34:06.we'd see them from other people in return.

:34:06. > :34:10.We saw that when we reached out and listened to somebody else's

:34:10. > :34:14.perspective. That person was more likely to listen to us.

:34:14. > :34:19.If we treated a class mate with respect, they treat us well in

:34:19. > :34:22.return. That's sort of how we became who we

:34:22. > :34:27.are today. That's how we learned what

:34:28. > :34:34.leadership really means. It's about stepping outside of your

:34:34. > :34:37.comfort zone to explore new ideas. It's about rising above old

:34:37. > :34:43.divisions. It's about treating people the way you want to be

:34:43. > :34:48.treated in return. And, as young people, you all are in

:34:48. > :34:51.a very powerful position to make some of those same choices

:34:51. > :34:55.yourselves. You have the freedom of an open

:34:55. > :35:01.mind. You have a fresh perspective that

:35:01. > :35:05.can help you find solutions to age old problems and with today's

:35:05. > :35:10.technology, you can connect with other young people from all over

:35:10. > :35:15.Northern Ireland and all around the world. So right now, you've got a

:35:15. > :35:21.choice to make. You've got to decide how you are going to use those

:35:21. > :35:25.advantages and opportunities to build the lives you dream of.

:35:25. > :35:30.Because that decision will determine, not only the kinds of

:35:30. > :35:35.people you'll become, but also the kinds of communities you live in,

:35:35. > :35:41.the kind of world we'll all share together. And standing here with all

:35:41. > :35:49.of you today, I have never felt more optimistic. Let me tell you. Because

:35:49. > :35:53.time and again, I have seen young people like all of you choosing to

:35:53. > :35:58.work together, choosing to lift each other up, choosing to leave behind

:35:58. > :36:08.the conflicts and prejudices of the past and create a bright future for

:36:08. > :36:16.

:36:16. > :36:18.because we want you to believe that, each and every one of you. We

:36:18. > :36:22.believe that you all have the ability to make a mark on this

:36:23. > :36:29.world, that will last for generations to come. So, we are so

:36:29. > :36:33.proud of you. We expect great things. So, with that, I think it

:36:33. > :36:42.would be a good opportunity for me to introduce someone who accompanied

:36:42. > :36:46.me here today... I let him travel with me every now and then. But he

:36:46. > :36:51.is someone who is just as excited and delighted to deliver a message

:36:51. > :37:01.and an carriage went to all of you. My husband, the President of the

:37:01. > :37:36.

:37:36. > :37:42.much, thank you. These be seated. Hello, Belfast! Hello, Northern

:37:42. > :37:49.Ireland. You now know why it is so difficult to speak after Michelle.

:37:49. > :37:53.She is better than me. But on behalf of both of us, thank you so much for

:37:53. > :37:59.this extraordinarily warm welcome. I want to thank Hannah for introducing

:37:59. > :38:05.my wife. We had a chance to speak with Hannah backstage, and she is an

:38:05. > :38:10.extraordinary young woman. Who knows, she will be doing greater

:38:10. > :38:14.things in years to come. I want to thank two men who I have hosted at

:38:14. > :38:24.the White House on many a St Patrick's Day for their warm

:38:24. > :38:25.

:38:25. > :38:35.welcome, First Minister Peter Robinson and... And Deputy First

:38:35. > :38:38.

:38:38. > :38:41.Minister Martin McGuinness. I spend the whole year trying to unite

:38:41. > :38:46.Washington around things, and they come to visit on St Patrick's Day

:38:46. > :38:56.and they do it in a single afternoon. I want to thank the state

:38:56. > :39:02.

:39:02. > :39:12.tax on Northern Ireland, Therese of Ilias. To all of the ministers in

:39:12. > :39:15.Northern Ireland, to the Lord Mayor of Belfast. And I want to thank all

:39:15. > :39:25.of the citizens in Belfast and Northern Ireland for your

:39:25. > :39:26.

:39:26. > :39:33.hospitality. As our daughters pointed out as we were driving in, I

:39:33. > :39:38.cause a big fuss wherever I go. Traffic and barricades and police

:39:38. > :39:42.officers, it is all a big production. A lot of people are

:39:42. > :39:48.involved, and I am very grateful for accommodating us. The first time

:39:48. > :39:53.Michelle and I visited this island was about three years ago. We were

:39:53. > :39:58.honoured to join tens of thousands on College Green in Dublin. We

:39:58. > :40:06.travelled to a little village where, as it turned out, my great, great,

:40:06. > :40:10.great grandfather was born. Actually, I identified this

:40:10. > :40:17.individual and this place only a few years ago. When I was first running

:40:17. > :40:23.for office in Chicago, I did not know this, but I wish I had. When I

:40:23. > :40:32.was in Chicago, as I was campaigning, they looked at my last

:40:32. > :40:35.name, and they would say, oh, there is an clicks from the homeland

:40:35. > :40:42.running on the southside, so he must be Irish. But I have never heard the

:40:42. > :40:48.gay lick name Barack. But it pays to be Irish in Chicago. So, while we

:40:48. > :40:56.were in monocle, I had the chance to meet my eighth who are, Henry, aka

:40:56. > :41:03.Henry VIII. We knew he was Mike cousin because his ears flat out,

:41:03. > :41:08.just like mine. I lived through the parish logs, where the names of my

:41:08. > :41:15.ancestors are recorded, I even watched Michelle how to pull a

:41:15. > :41:21.proper pint of black. Who is cheering for that? So, it was a

:41:21. > :41:27.magical visit. The only problem was, it was far too short. A volcano in

:41:27. > :41:31.Iceland forced us to leave before we could even spend a night. So we have

:41:31. > :41:34.been eager for a chance to return to the Emerald Isle ever since. This

:41:34. > :41:39.time, we brought our daughters fuzzy in particular, we wanted to come

:41:39. > :41:47.here, to Northern Ireland, a place of remarkable beauty and

:41:48. > :41:55.extraordinary history, part of an island with which tens of millions

:41:55. > :42:01.of Americans share an eternal relationship. America's story began

:42:02. > :42:09.right outside the doors of this gleaming hall. 325 years ago, a ship

:42:09. > :42:17.set sail from the River Lagan, filled with men and women, who

:42:17. > :42:22.dreams of building a new life. They, followed by hundreds of thousands of

:42:22. > :42:28.more, helped America to write those early chapters. They helped us win

:42:28. > :42:35.our independence, they helped us draft our Constitution, and soon

:42:35. > :42:40.after, America returned to Belfast, opening one of our very first

:42:40. > :42:48.consulates here. In 1796, when George Washington was still

:42:48. > :42:53.President. So, today, names familiar to many of you are etched on schools

:42:53. > :43:01.and courthouses across the United States. Names like Wilson, Kelly and

:43:01. > :43:10.O'Neill. So many of the qualities that we Americans hold dear, we

:43:10. > :43:15.imported from this land. Perseverance, faith, and unbending

:43:15. > :43:19.belief that we make our own destiny, and our unshakeable dream

:43:19. > :43:24.that if we work hard and live responsibility, something better

:43:24. > :43:33.lives just around the corner. So, our histories are bound by blood and

:43:33. > :43:39.belief, by culture and by commerce. And our futures are equally

:43:39. > :43:49.inextricably linked. That is why I have come to Belfast today, to talk

:43:49. > :43:49.

:43:49. > :43:57.about the future we can build together. Your generation, the young

:43:58. > :44:07.generation, has come of age in a world with fewer walls. You have

:44:07. > :44:13.been educated in an era of instant information. You have been tempered

:44:13. > :44:19.by some very difficult times around the globe. And as I travel, what I

:44:19. > :44:23.have seen of young people like you around the world has shown me that

:44:23. > :44:30.these currents have conspired to make you a generation possessed by

:44:30. > :44:34.both a clear eyed realism, but also an optimistic idealism. A generation

:44:34. > :44:42.keenly aware of the world as it is, but eager to forge the world as it

:44:42. > :44:51.should be. And when it comes to the future we share, that fills me with

:44:51. > :44:55.hope, young people filming with hope. Here in Northern Ireland, this

:44:55. > :45:01.generation has known even more rapid change and many young people have

:45:01. > :45:05.seen around the world. While you have unique challenges of your own,

:45:05. > :45:11.you also have reasons to be helpful, for you are the first generation in

:45:11. > :45:20.this land to inherit more than just the hardened attitude and the bitter

:45:20. > :45:27.prejudices of the past. You are the inheritors of a just and hard earned

:45:27. > :45:31.peace. You now live in a thoroughly modern Northern Ireland. Of course,

:45:31. > :45:35.the recession is that spread through nearly every country in recent years

:45:35. > :45:39.inflicted hardship here as well, and there are communities which are

:45:39. > :45:46.still feeling real pain. But day-to-day, life is changing

:45:46. > :45:50.throughout the North. There was a time people could not have imagined

:45:50. > :45:56.Northern Ireland hosting a gathering of world leaders, as you are today.

:45:56. > :46:06.I want to thank the chief constable for working to keep everyone safe

:46:06. > :46:20.

:46:20. > :46:30.this week. Northern Ireland is hosting the World Police And Fire

:46:30. > :46:33.

:46:33. > :46:38.Games later this year. Mary Peters is helping to organise that. Golf

:46:38. > :46:48.fans like me had to wait a long six decades for the Irish open to return

:46:48. > :46:57.to the North last year. I am unhappy that I will not get a few rounds in

:46:57. > :47:02.while I am here. I did meet Rory McIlory last year, and... He offered

:47:02. > :47:09.to get my swing is sorted, which was a polite way of saying, as the

:47:09. > :47:16.President, you need help. -- Mr President. None of that would have

:47:16. > :47:19.been imaginable a generation ago. And Belfast is a different city.

:47:19. > :47:27.Once abandoned factories are rebuilt, former industrial sites are

:47:27. > :47:36.we born, businesses come from all over to exhibit, plays and

:47:36. > :47:46.concerts, families crowd into pubs in the Cathedral Quarter. Students

:47:46. > :48:07.

:48:07. > :48:17.lounge at cafes, asking each other, what the craic? So, it is the

:48:17. > :48:19.

:48:19. > :48:23.manifestation of sheer bloody genius - this island chic is now, and these

:48:23. > :48:27.daily moments of life in a bustling city, it may seem ordinary to many

:48:27. > :48:33.of you, which is what makes it so extraordinary. But that is what your

:48:33. > :48:37.parents and grandparents dreamt of, to travel without roadblocks or

:48:37. > :48:44.seeing soldiers on patrol, to enjoy a sunny day free from the ever

:48:44. > :48:50.present awareness that violence could work on it at any moment. To

:48:50. > :48:53.befriend or fall in love with whomever you want. They hoped for a

:48:53. > :48:59.day when the world would think something different when they heard

:48:59. > :49:07.the word Belfast. And because of their efforts, because of their

:49:08. > :49:11.courage, that day has come. Because of their work, those dreams they had

:49:11. > :49:18.for you became the most incredible thing of all, it became a reality.

:49:18. > :49:22.It has been 15 years now since the Good Friday agreement, since

:49:22. > :49:28.clenched fists gave way to outstretched hands. The people of

:49:28. > :49:36.this island voted in overwhelming numbers to see beyond the scars of

:49:36. > :49:44.violence and mistrust, and to choose to wage peace. Over the years, other

:49:44. > :49:48.breakthroughs and agreements have followed. It is extraordinary,

:49:48. > :49:53.because for years, few conflicts in the world seem more intractable than

:49:53. > :49:58.the one here in Northern Ireland. So that when peace was achieved here,

:49:58. > :50:02.it gave the entire world hope, the world rejoiced in your achievement,

:50:02. > :50:08.especially in America. Pubs from Chicago to Boston were scenes of

:50:08. > :50:18.revelry. Folks celebrating the hard work of those who helped bring

:50:18. > :50:20.

:50:20. > :50:23.peace. In America, you helped to transcend our differences. If there

:50:23. > :50:31.is one thing on which Republicans in America wholeheartedly agree, it is

:50:31. > :50:37.that we strongly support a peaceful and prosperous Northern Ireland.

:50:37. > :50:47.But, as all of you know, all too well, for all the strides that you

:50:47. > :50:51.have made, there's still much work to do. There are people who haven't

:50:51. > :50:54.reaped the rewards of peace. There are those that aren't convinced the

:50:54. > :50:58.effort is worth it. There are still wounds that haven't heal and

:50:59. > :51:08.communities where tensions and mistrust hangs in the air.

:51:09. > :51:10.

:51:11. > :51:14.There are walls that still stand. There are still many miles to go.

:51:14. > :51:24.From the start, no-one was naive enough to believe that peace would

:51:24. > :51:28.be anything but a long journey. Pf Yates once wrote "peace comes

:51:28. > :51:31.dropping slowly". But that doesn't mean our efforts to forge a real and

:51:31. > :51:35.lasting peace should come dropping slow.

:51:35. > :51:42.This work is as urgent now as it's ever been because there is more to

:51:43. > :51:48.lose now than there's ever been. In today's hyper-connected world,

:51:48. > :51:54.what happens here as an impact on lives far from these shores. If you

:51:55. > :51:59.continue your courageous path toward a permanent peace and all the social

:51:59. > :52:03.and economic benefits that come with it, that won't be just good for you,

:52:03. > :52:11.it will be Gooled for the entire Ireland, the United Kingdom, Europe

:52:11. > :52:16.and it would be good for the world. We need you to get this right.

:52:16. > :52:19.What's more, if you set an example of those who seek a peace of their

:52:19. > :52:25.own, beyond these shores right now in scattered corners of the world,

:52:25. > :52:31.there are people living in the grips of conflict. Ethnic conflict,

:52:31. > :52:36.religious conflict, tribal conflicts. And they know something

:52:36. > :52:42.better's out there. And they are hoping to find a way to

:52:42. > :52:51.discover how to move beyond the heavy hand of history.

:52:51. > :52:57.To put aside the violence. They are studying what you are doing. And

:52:57. > :53:01.they are wondering perhaps if Northern Ireland can achieve peace

:53:01. > :53:05.we can too. So you are their blueprint to follow, you are their

:53:05. > :53:10.proof of what is possible. Because hope is contagious.

:53:10. > :53:16.They are watching to see what you do next.

:53:16. > :53:22.Now, some of that is up to your leaders.

:53:22. > :53:26.As someone who knows first hand how politics can encourage division and

:53:26. > :53:29.discourage cooperation, I admire the Northern Ireland Executive and the

:53:29. > :53:37.Northern Ireland Assembly all the more for making power sharing work.

:53:37. > :53:44.That's not easy to do. It requires compromise. It requires absorbing

:53:44. > :53:48.some pain from your own side. So I applaud that for taking

:53:48. > :53:54.responsibility for law enforcement and for justice and I commend their

:53:54. > :54:00.effort to building a you nighted community. Important next steps

:54:00. > :54:06.along your transformational journey. Issues like segregated schools and

:54:06. > :54:14.housing, lack of jobs and opportunity, symbols of history that

:54:14. > :54:18.are a source of pride for some and pain for others, these are not -

:54:18. > :54:23.these are essential to peace. If towns remain divided, if Catholics

:54:23. > :54:32.have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can't

:54:32. > :54:36.see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to

:54:36. > :54:46.harden, that encourages division, discourages cooperation.

:54:46. > :54:46.

:54:46. > :54:51.Ultimately, peace is not just about politics. It's about attitudes. It's

:54:51. > :54:54.about a accepts of empathy. It's about breaking down the

:54:54. > :55:01.divisions that we create for ourselves in our own minds.

:55:01. > :55:07.And our own hearts. That don't exist in any objective

:55:07. > :55:14.reality but that we carry with us generation after generation.

:55:14. > :55:18.I know because America, we too, have had to work hard over the decades,

:55:18. > :55:26.slowly gradually, sometimes painfully in fits and starts to keep

:55:26. > :55:30.perfecting our union. 150 years ago, we were torn open by a terrible

:55:30. > :55:34.conflict. Our Civil War was far shorter than the troubles, but it

:55:34. > :55:40.killed hundreds of thousands of our people.

:55:41. > :55:46.Of course, the legacy of slavery endured for generations.

:55:46. > :55:53.Even a century after we achieved our own peace, we were not fully united.

:55:53. > :56:02.When I was a boy, many cities still had separate drink drinking found

:56:02. > :56:08.and wash rooms for blacks and whites and counters. My own parents'

:56:08. > :56:15.marriage would have been illegal in certain states.

:56:15. > :56:22.Someone who looked like me often had a hard time casting a ballot much

:56:22. > :56:28.less being on about it. But over time, laws changed. Hearts

:56:28. > :56:36.and minds changed. Sometimes driven by courageous law-makers, but more

:56:36. > :56:43.often, driven by committed citizens. The politicians often times follow

:56:43. > :56:49.rather than lead. And so, especially young people, have to push and prod

:56:49. > :56:56.and protest. And to make common cause with those

:56:56. > :57:00.who did not look like them. And that transformed America so that

:57:00. > :57:08.Malia and Sasha's generation, they have different attitudes about

:57:08. > :57:18.differences and race than mine and certainly different from the

:57:18. > :57:19.

:57:19. > :57:25.generation before that. Each successive generation creates a

:57:25. > :57:30.new space for peace and tolerance and justice and fairness.

:57:30. > :57:35.Now, while we have work to do, in many ways, we have surely become

:57:35. > :57:38.more tolerant and more just and more accepting. More willing to see our

:57:38. > :57:47.diversity in America, not as something to fear, but as something

:57:47. > :57:55.to welcome because it's a source of our national strength. So, as your

:57:55. > :57:58.leaders step forward to address your challenges, through talks by all

:57:58. > :58:05.parties, they'll need you young people to keep pushing them, to

:58:05. > :58:10.create a space for them, to change attitudes. Ultimately, whether your

:58:10. > :58:14.communities deal with the past and face the future you nighted,

:58:14. > :58:18.together, isn't something you have to wait for somebody else to do.

:58:18. > :58:25.That's a choice you have to make right now.

:58:25. > :58:31.-- united together. It's within your power to bring about change.

:58:31. > :58:34.Whether you are a good neighbour to someone from the other side of past

:58:34. > :58:41.battles, that's up to you, but whether you treat them with the

:58:41. > :58:47.dignity and respect they deserve, that's up to you.

:58:47. > :58:57.Whether you let your kids play with kids who attend a different church,

:58:57. > :58:58.

:58:58. > :59:05.that's your decision. Whether you take a stand and tell extremists on

:59:05. > :59:10.both sides whether they attack the peace, whether they succeed is in

:59:10. > :59:14.your hands. Whether you reach your own outstretched hand across

:59:14. > :59:22.dividing lines, across peace walls to build trust in a spirit of

:59:22. > :59:32.respect, that's up to you. The terms of peace may be negotiated by

:59:32. > :59:36.

:59:36. > :59:39.political leaders, but the fate of This peace in Northern Ireland has

:59:39. > :59:45.been tested over the past 15 years. It's been tested over the past year.

:59:45. > :59:50.It will be tested again. But remember something that

:59:50. > :59:56.President Clinton said when he spoke here in Belfast just a few weeks

:59:56. > :00:00.after the horrors of Omagh. That bomb, he said, was not the last bomb

:00:00. > :00:06.of the troubles, it was the opening shot of a vicious attack on the

:00:06. > :00:11.peace. And whenever your peace is attacked, you'llual have to choose

:00:11. > :00:21.whether to respond with the same bravery that you've summonsed so

:00:21. > :00:23.

:00:23. > :00:29.far, or whether you succumb to the worst instance. Those impulseles

:00:29. > :00:38.that kept this great land divided for too long, you will have to

:00:38. > :00:41.choose whether to keep going forward, not backwards. You should

:00:41. > :00:47.know that so long as you are moving forward, America will always stand

:00:47. > :00:51.by you as you do. We'll keep working closer with

:00:51. > :00:56.leaders in Stormont, Dublin and wealth, to support your political

:00:56. > :01:01.progress. We'll keep working to strengthen our

:01:01. > :01:05.economies, including the broad economic initiative announced on

:01:05. > :01:11.Friday, to unlock new opportunities for growth and investment between

:01:11. > :01:15.our countries' businesses. Jobs and opportunity are essential to peace.

:01:15. > :01:19.Our scientists will keep collaborating with yours in fields

:01:19. > :01:22.like nano--technology and clean energy and health care that make our

:01:23. > :01:27.lives better and fuel economic growth on both sides of the

:01:28. > :01:31.Atlantic. Progress is essential to peace.

:01:31. > :01:34.And because knowledge and understanding is essential to peace.

:01:34. > :01:38.We'll keep investing in programmes that enrich both of us. Programmes

:01:38. > :01:43.like the one at Belfast Metropolitan College which teaches students from

:01:43. > :01:45.West and North Belfast the skills they need for new jobs and exchange

:01:45. > :01:49.programmes that have given thousands in Northern Ireland and the United

:01:49. > :01:58.States the chance to travel to each other's communities and learn from

:01:58. > :02:02.one another. One of those young people who's here

:02:02. > :02:12.today, Sylvia Gordon is the director of an organisation which aims to

:02:12. > :02:14.

:02:14. > :02:20.bring about change from the ground APPLAUSE

:02:20. > :02:26.Where's Sylvia? Is Sylvia here somewhere? Where is she? She's here

:02:26. > :02:31.somewhere. Well, you're here too, yeah. Some

:02:31. > :02:36.guy just waved and said "I'm here", which is good, I appreciate you

:02:36. > :02:40.being here. As someone who got my start as a

:02:40. > :02:44.community organiser, I was so impressed with what Sylvia has done,

:02:44. > :02:48.because a few years ago, Sylvia visited the United States to learn

:02:48. > :02:53.more about how Americans organised to improve their communities, so,

:02:53. > :02:57.after she came home, Sylvia rolled up here sleeves here in Belfast and

:02:57. > :03:01.decided to do something about Alexander Park. Some of you may know

:03:01. > :03:06.this park. For years, it was thought to be the only park in Europe still

:03:06. > :03:12.divided by a wall. Think about that.

:03:12. > :03:16.In all of Europe, yes, one part, it's got a wall in the middle of it.

:03:16. > :03:21.So Sylvia and her colleagues knew how hard it would be to do anything

:03:21. > :03:24.about a peace wall, but they reached out to the police, the Department of

:03:24. > :03:27.Justice. They brought together people from across the communities

:03:27. > :03:34.they knew it was going to be hard, but they tried anyway. Together,

:03:34. > :03:38.they all decided to build a gate to open that wall.

:03:38. > :03:45.And now people can walk freely through the park.

:03:46. > :03:55.They can enjoy the sun when it comes out. Just like people do every day

:03:55. > :04:05.in parks all around the world. It's a small bit of progress. But

:04:05. > :04:10.the fact that so far we've only got a gate open and the wall is still up

:04:10. > :04:19.means there's more work to do. That's the work of your generation.

:04:19. > :04:23.So long as more walls still stand, we will need more people like

:04:23. > :04:33.Sylvia, we'll need more of you, young people who imagine the world

:04:33. > :04:50.

:04:51. > :04:56.as it should be, who knock down the small impossibilities a shining

:04:56. > :05:00.example of what is possible. But, more than anything, will shape what

:05:00. > :05:04.Northern Ireland looks like 15 years from now and beyond. All of you,

:05:04. > :05:11.every single young person here today, possesses something the

:05:11. > :05:15.generation before yours did not, and that is an example to follow. When

:05:15. > :05:18.those who took a chance on peace got started, they did not have a

:05:18. > :05:25.successful model to emulate, they did not know how it would work, but

:05:25. > :05:30.I took a chance. And so far, it has succeeded. And the first steps are

:05:30. > :05:40.the hardest, requiring the most courage. The rest, now, is up to

:05:40. > :05:48.

:05:48. > :05:57.you. Peace is indeed harder than war. The constant fragility is part

:05:57. > :06:04.of its beauty. A bullet need happen only once, but for peace to work, we

:06:04. > :06:09.need to be reminded of its existence again and again and again. And

:06:09. > :06:14.that's what we need from you, that's what we need from every young person

:06:14. > :06:17.in Northern Ireland, and that's what we need from every young person

:06:17. > :06:22.around the world. You must remind us of the existence of peace, the

:06:22. > :06:32.possibility of peace. You have to remind us of hope again and again

:06:32. > :06:42.and again. Despite resistance, despite setbacks, despite hardship

:06:42. > :06:44.

:06:44. > :06:54.despite tragedy, you have to remind us of the future again and again and

:06:54. > :06:55.

:06:55. > :07:05.again. I have confidence you will choose that path. You will embrace

:07:05. > :07:07.that task. To those who choose the path of priests, -- of peace, I

:07:07. > :07:12.promise you, the United States of America will support you every step

:07:12. > :07:14.of the way, we will always be the wind at your back. As I said when I

:07:15. > :07:20.visited two years ago, I am convinced that this little island,

:07:20. > :07:25.which inspires the biggest of things, it's best days are yet

:07:25. > :07:35.ahead. Good luck God bless you and God bless all the people of Northern

:07:35. > :07:35.

:07:35. > :08:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

:08:16. > :08:20.Waterfront Hall for Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on their first visit

:08:20. > :08:27.to this part of the island. Just reflecting on what the President

:08:27. > :08:35.said with my guests. Catherine Clinton, there is something about

:08:35. > :08:38.the fact that the Obamas came from prejudice, came through prejudice,

:08:38. > :08:42.it seems to give them an extra edge when addressing a land where

:08:42. > :08:47.prejudice is still a problem. Yes, they talked about the fact that you

:08:47. > :08:53.do not need to be identified by others, but you can choose your own

:08:53. > :08:57.identity. That was the important message of Michelle Obama, to build

:08:57. > :09:01.the life you dream of. I think the President went off script at one

:09:01. > :09:05.point when he said, knock down the barriers. He also said, knocked down

:09:05. > :09:11.the walls, but he was talking about dreaming, having possibilities, the

:09:11. > :09:16.invoking of a dream, reaching out across the divide, was a message. He

:09:16. > :09:21.has lived a life which gives a very, very strong example of that.

:09:21. > :09:26.Michelle talked about her use direct aid to these young people. It can be

:09:26. > :09:30.a powerful message. The young woman Hannah at the beginning said she did

:09:30. > :09:38.not want to live in the path, and she should not choose to live in the

:09:38. > :09:42.past, but she can learn from different pasts and choose her own

:09:42. > :09:51.identity and way forward. Do you think there is an extra edge given

:09:51. > :09:59.the back ground of the Obamas, when he said his parent's marriage would

:09:59. > :10:04.not even have been legal. It would be good to think that some of those

:10:04. > :10:08.hungry young faces, I thought it was a bit sad, a lot of young faces

:10:08. > :10:12.looking to him for more interesting points then he made. It seems to me

:10:12. > :10:18.a very empty speech in many ways. His own story, and the lessons from

:10:18. > :10:24.his example, and Michelle Obama's example of what you can achieve with

:10:24. > :10:29.talent, ability and drive, and the fact of being black, and the fact of

:10:29. > :10:32.his African-American parentage, all of that, it would be nice to think

:10:32. > :10:41.that that message will be the one that will get through to some of

:10:41. > :10:45.those young people, but something in the Northern Ireland they have grown

:10:45. > :10:55.up in May not be questioned, that makes marriage is still unthinkable

:10:55. > :10:59.

:10:59. > :11:05.to many. I'd Inc the hyperbolic phrases are difficult for us to

:11:05. > :11:13.stomach sometimes. Like when he said, we met Hannah beforehand, a

:11:13. > :11:17.remarkable young woman - how can they possibly know that? He is here

:11:17. > :11:24.for 20 minutes, you'll have to excuse a bit of that, surely. It is

:11:24. > :11:28.his Irish heritage getting to him, he was giving it a bit of that. You

:11:28. > :11:38.expect rhetoric at times like this, don't you? What would you want him

:11:38. > :11:38.

:11:38. > :11:48.to say that he did not say? I think he is a great speaker, but if it is

:11:48. > :11:49.

:11:49. > :11:57.overly long... The cloth eared Ness jarred as well, which was Clinton --

:11:57. > :12:01.something Clinton never did, he got everything exactly right. This is a

:12:01. > :12:07.swing through, part of the backdrop, he makes this speech to

:12:07. > :12:11.young people, and he chooses young people, and as Catherine says, this

:12:11. > :12:16.has been a theme of the presidency, and a theme for Michelle Obama in

:12:16. > :12:21.particular. He picks on a theme which has some reality in his

:12:21. > :12:25.presidency, but for the rest of it, it really is swing through stuff,

:12:25. > :12:29.celebrity stuff, which is what the young people came out to sea. You

:12:29. > :12:33.could see that a few minutes of inspirational, motivational chat is

:12:33. > :12:37.not a bad thing from time to time. Not a bad thing to touch base, and

:12:37. > :12:41.of course, if he did go on too long, President Clinton was not known for

:12:41. > :12:46.his brevity. And therefore, maybe he thought people would like this

:12:46. > :12:52.lengthy message, full of many platitudes, as you say, but also

:12:52. > :12:57.soundbites" - take down your walls was a very famous phrase by another

:12:57. > :13:00.President, maybe knock down your walls, and reach out across the

:13:00. > :13:04.divide is something he can say directly to the young people. There

:13:04. > :13:09.are politicians sitting there in a row, looking very stony faced, but I

:13:09. > :13:14.think you could see at the end, the graciousness of turning to those

:13:14. > :13:23.people who were at his back for the entire speech. And who would not sit

:13:23. > :13:32.down! He reached out to them. It was an attempt at memorability, which

:13:32. > :13:39.may be sacrificed other things. Nevertheless he told people what he

:13:39. > :13:47.thought he hoped for them. What is the immediate reaction to the

:13:47. > :13:50.speech? Well, it has been a very interesting morning. I am not sure

:13:50. > :13:56.if you can see in the pictures that you had earlier but it was a bit too

:13:56. > :13:59.much for some students, had a couple of almost fainting incidents, among

:13:59. > :14:05.some of the students behind President Obama. You have

:14:05. > :14:12.concentrated mostly on the President Gerry speech, but what did you think

:14:12. > :14:16.of Hannah Nelson's speech? What was interesting was that it set the

:14:16. > :14:18.narrative thread which connected all three speeches. She was speaking as

:14:18. > :14:23.a 16-year-old with hope and aspirations for the future, Michelle

:14:23. > :14:30.Obama of course, with particular interest in education, it was neatly

:14:30. > :14:35.joined up, all three speeches. And she set the tone. She was saying,

:14:35. > :14:43.yes, we have a past, but I live in the present and I want a future. I

:14:43. > :14:48.do not want that future to be more engaged by the past. -- to be

:14:48. > :14:54.mortgaged by the past. That message was continued by Michelle Obama and

:14:54. > :14:59.by the President. We are hoping to hear from her shortly, but she wrote

:14:59. > :15:02.that speech herself, it was part of a competition to win the prize of

:15:02. > :15:08.introducing the President and the First Lady. Things like, peace is

:15:08. > :15:11.not easy, it is pretty incisive for a 16-year-old. It showed a certain

:15:11. > :15:21.maturity which should commend itself to a lot of other people in Northern

:15:21. > :15:23.

:15:23. > :15:27.Ireland. It is a feather in the cap for her, and for her school. But

:15:27. > :15:33.what she embodies is hope and aspiration. It was fuelled by

:15:33. > :15:36.Michelle Obama, and by Barack Obama, in terms of their own battles, where

:15:36. > :15:43.they came from, and what they expect Haitians were when they were that

:15:43. > :15:49.age, which were narrow, constricted by race, by relative poverty. And

:15:49. > :15:54.also by family circumstance. Basically, all three of them were

:15:54. > :16:02.saying in their different ways the same message, which is, we must not

:16:02. > :16:10.let the future be tarnished or tainted. We are dealing with the

:16:10. > :16:16.future, but we also have to think about the new generations. President

:16:16. > :16:22.Obama obviously, this was the local stage, the world stage, but she was

:16:22. > :16:25.very much talking to the children in that room. She was. The balance was

:16:25. > :16:35.slightly different, but all three speeches were saying, you are the

:16:35. > :16:40.future. These speeches were designed to inspire not only our current

:16:41. > :16:44.political leadership, but to raise the sites and the ambitions and the

:16:44. > :16:49.principles and the values of the next generation. They should be

:16:49. > :16:56.proactive, they should not let the political classes tread water,

:16:56. > :17:06.because they have expect Haitians which needs to be met. I think that

:17:06. > :17:06.

:17:06. > :17:10.was what Hannah set out from the first, but Barack Obama made it very

:17:10. > :17:15.clear that the United States will be with our political leadership as

:17:15. > :17:24.they move forward, but they have to move forward. Economic development

:17:24. > :17:29.in Northern Ireland relies on that progress. Back to you in the studio.

:17:29. > :17:33.Of course, this is a global summit, and in Enniskillen, Mark Devenport

:17:33. > :17:37.has been speaking to two young people from Israel and Palestine who

:17:38. > :17:41.have been following events. Here in Fermanagh, I am joined by two

:17:41. > :17:47.youngsters who are going to be at the Clinton Centre during the course

:17:47. > :17:57.of the day. They are youngsters from Israel and Palestine, who are

:17:57. > :17:58.

:17:58. > :18:02.learning from our experiences. You have been looking at the pictures of

:18:02. > :18:06.our young people waiting to hear from the President, and actually, he

:18:06. > :18:13.did a similar kind of event injuries and, appealing to the young people -

:18:13. > :18:18.what was it like? It was amazing. was very inspirational. I think he

:18:18. > :18:24.made a very good choice to speak directly to young people.

:18:24. > :18:34.Basically, the message was hope. I think it was to make a change for us

:18:34. > :18:35.

:18:35. > :18:40.as young people and to look to a better future. I was overwhelmed.

:18:40. > :18:44.And you are here, learning from the Northern Ireland experience, but

:18:44. > :18:48.what do you think Northern Ireland has two teach areas like Israel and

:18:48. > :18:53.Palestine, if anything? First of all, she said hope, that is a very

:18:53. > :18:58.important word. Coming out from a conflict into another conflict, now

:18:58. > :19:02.it is a post-conflict experience, which is an amazing era for you. But

:19:02. > :19:06.the fact that we went through all of the historical and other events

:19:06. > :19:10.which have been through the conflict, it is a learning process.

:19:10. > :19:14.You put yourself into another conflict, and you put yourself out

:19:14. > :19:20.of the box, in order to see and learn new things. I am still not

:19:20. > :19:25.sure how much that has an impact directly on my conflict, but it is a

:19:25. > :19:30.learning process. Obviously, some terrible things happening on the

:19:30. > :19:33.ground in Syria at the moment, which is worrying for everybody in that

:19:33. > :19:40.region, they are not expecting a lot of progress here, but at least they

:19:40. > :19:44.are talking about it. It's very important to talk and also very,

:19:44. > :19:49.very worrying about the situation in Syria. We hope it will hopefully

:19:49. > :19:55.come to an end as soon as possible. What I really want to say is that

:19:55. > :20:00.talking is only a solution. To put down the weapons and just talk, I

:20:00. > :20:04.mean we've been talking this past week and it hasn't always been very

:20:04. > :20:09.easy, you know. There is a lot of emotions, which is very natural for

:20:09. > :20:14.both sides, but it has to be done, you know. You have to sit and talk,

:20:14. > :20:18.even about the hard things and just like we are sitting and doing it,

:20:18. > :20:22.the leaders have to do the same. OK, thank you both very much for

:20:22. > :20:26.joining us here in Fermanagh. That's all from now from Enniskillen.

:20:26. > :20:30.Thanks, Mark. It was a big day in the life of 16-year-old Hannah

:20:30. > :20:35.Nelson, introducing the First Lady of the United States, Michelle

:20:35. > :20:40.Obama. Hannah I think is with Maggie Taggart down at the Waterfront.

:20:40. > :20:43.Yes, indeed. I managed to get Hannah Nelson. 16 years old, just had the

:20:43. > :20:49.biggest event of your life I would say, Hannah. What was that like for

:20:49. > :20:52.you? It was amazing, it was a big honour to be here as well. I know

:20:53. > :20:57.you had a pre-meeting with Barack Obama and Michelle. What did they

:20:57. > :21:01.say? They were really nice, it was quite casual. They made me feel a

:21:01. > :21:06.lot more confidentable about going on, so it was really nice. They were

:21:06. > :21:14.generally talking about my speech and about summer and just asking me

:21:14. > :21:20.casual questions like what was I doing. Your speech was an honour,

:21:20. > :21:25.being on the stage, it was about being peaceful, are you worried that

:21:25. > :21:28.peace is fragile? Yes, definitely. You never really know. There are

:21:28. > :21:31.some people out there that don't want peace, but I think definitely

:21:31. > :21:35.peace, everyone wants to live in a society where you feel safe and you

:21:36. > :21:38.feel happy. I think that's what we need to work for achieving. Looks as

:21:38. > :21:44.though you are saying it needs a great leap of confidence for people

:21:44. > :21:47.to live together? Yeah, yeah, and every step we make, it will be a

:21:47. > :21:51.bigger difference and a better difference. Michelle Obama was very

:21:51. > :21:57.keen to say that young people are in a very powerful position. Do you

:21:57. > :22:01.feel powerful? Yes, I feel like, as I said in my speech, our age group

:22:01. > :22:04.should be the focus because we are the ones who're going to grow up and

:22:04. > :22:11.try to bring peace to everybody and pass it on to the generations to

:22:11. > :22:16.come. Do you have an open mind, as she said? Yes, definitely.A lot of

:22:16. > :22:22.people were watching you and will be watching you in your future to see

:22:22. > :22:26.what you have done. A lot of people will not forget Hannah.

:22:26. > :22:31.Let's join Mark Devonport again who is live with us now. Mark, too much

:22:31. > :22:35.flannel, not enough substance in the speech, or the other way around?

:22:35. > :22:40.Well, I think it was pretty showbizzy, it was broad brush stuff.

:22:40. > :22:45.There are a few things. You could be cynical about this, but there were a

:22:45. > :22:49.few aspects that will touch on people, the phrase "what's the

:22:49. > :22:58.craic", touched with the audience. He got some pronunciations right,

:22:58. > :23:02.the Lord Mayor right, and he got Dam Mary Peters wrong, along with a few

:23:02. > :23:05.other pronunciations. In terms of the general message, interesting he

:23:05. > :23:10.compared the business of racism in the United States with what is going

:23:10. > :23:16.on here in relation to sectarianism. Interesting he talked about bringing

:23:16. > :23:23.down walls. He's going to Berlin on this trip later on and that was the

:23:23. > :23:27.famous place where JFK talked about the wall there and talked about

:23:27. > :23:32.being a Berliner in his speech. Also, this tactic, as we heard there

:23:32. > :23:36.from the young Israeli woman, is something which the President has

:23:36. > :23:39.used elsewhere, addressing young people, appealing over the heads of

:23:39. > :23:45.the politicians. I think you could see this as a sort of a twoway

:23:45. > :23:49.street. He wants to inspire young people, but he also wants to be seen

:23:49. > :23:53.as an inspirational figure. He surrounds himself by the younger

:23:53. > :23:57.generation, looking to the future, getting into the broad brush

:23:57. > :24:01.strokes, rather than being bogged down into what he thinks of an

:24:01. > :24:06.economic package and trade and tax issues. I think he feels that that's

:24:06. > :24:11.good for him. There's something in it for him by surrounding himself by

:24:11. > :24:17.the bright-eyed teenagers around the world. Sarah Palin talked about the

:24:17. > :24:23.hopy, feely stuff that for such a theme of Barack Obama for the hope

:24:23. > :24:29.of ambition. Hope's been a big theme of Barack Obama's candidacy and time

:24:30. > :24:33.in the White House? Of course, famously, Barack Obama won the Nobel

:24:33. > :24:38.Peace Prize on the basis of talking a good talk, rather than necessarily

:24:38. > :24:42.walking a good walk. I mean, he does that and he does that around the

:24:42. > :24:47.world. There's then obviously all sorts of questions about his

:24:47. > :24:52.policies, whether it be in relation to the Middle East or wherever else.

:24:52. > :24:56.But, I think he will have made a mark on many of those young people.

:24:56. > :25:03.Obviously, some have been up since quite early on and were finding it a

:25:03. > :25:06.bit hard going. But it's easy, and we have heard from others before - I

:25:06. > :25:09.remember the Mayor of New York talking about bringing down the

:25:09. > :25:12.walls - we remember on the ground it's a bit more difficult. This

:25:12. > :25:15.isn't a Berlin Wall scenario where people living on both sides

:25:15. > :25:19.necessarily want the barriers to come down, it's something that will

:25:19. > :25:22.have to be negotiated. There's still a lot of fear and distrust. He's

:25:22. > :25:25.trying to push through that and work with the younger generation in order

:25:25. > :25:31.to push through that in the future. Thank you very much indeed, Mark.

:25:31. > :25:36.Straight back over to the Waterfront. Tara.

:25:36. > :25:41.Well, Noel, it's got very noisy here all of a sudden. All the school

:25:41. > :25:46.children have started to pile out. Joining me now, the Lord Mayor of

:25:46. > :25:50.Belfast and the leader of NI 21. Lord Mayor, who did you think?

:25:50. > :25:54.thought it was a red letter day for Belfast, a fantastic speech. He's

:25:54. > :25:58.set the scene for continuing to build peace. He set the scene for

:25:58. > :26:03.making a clear investment in Belfast and we heard his words about

:26:03. > :26:06.tolerance, violence, justice and also his pledge that Irish America

:26:06. > :26:09.and America would stand by the peace process as long as we continued to

:26:09. > :26:13.move forward. I think that's everyone's resolve today, to

:26:14. > :26:19.continue the work of peace. An impressive performance by the

:26:19. > :26:23.First Lady and of course, by our very own Hannah Nelson? I got to

:26:23. > :26:28.meet the First Lady and the President and Hannah and we have

:26:28. > :26:31.three people who're very adept at sending out the message of peace and

:26:31. > :26:35.progress. In the days ahead, the young people who were there today, I

:26:35. > :26:38.think they'll take the message to heart. They are the agents of change

:26:38. > :26:42.in this City and they are the people who 're going to achieve much more

:26:42. > :26:45.than the generation which perhaps created the peace. I think they are

:26:45. > :26:49.really going to bring this society into a brighter future.

:26:49. > :26:54.Indeed, Michelle Obama saying lots of people in the room? Absolutely,

:26:54. > :26:57.those of us of a certain age can only look on in admiration at what

:26:57. > :27:01.the young people want to achieve and are achieving. They are bringing

:27:01. > :27:05.this City together and I think they'll really bring us to heights

:27:05. > :27:09.which we haven't achieved yet. All sounds very familiar, some of

:27:09. > :27:12.the messages this morning to what you have been saying with your new

:27:12. > :27:15.party. What do you think the future holds for the youngsters in the

:27:16. > :27:19.room? Do you think peace can be permanent? I was struck by what

:27:19. > :27:24.Hannah had to say. She really did say her generation moved on and they

:27:24. > :27:28.want to live in peace and then, when you take that forward from what the

:27:28. > :27:31.President said about individuals making all the difference, it's not

:27:31. > :27:35.just about Government and asking permission to do it, it's something

:27:35. > :27:39.that every single person, if they want to, can go out and reach out

:27:39. > :27:43.the hand of friendship. They can build peace and make this a better

:27:43. > :27:47.place to live. I think that fits in with the feeling of an awful lot of

:27:47. > :27:52.people in Northern Ireland. The President did talk in sombre terms

:27:52. > :27:55.to us as well, saying what is necessary for him to keep this place

:27:55. > :27:59.moving forward. Everybody left inspired I think and the young

:27:59. > :28:02.people will not forget this day for a long, long time. They may not

:28:02. > :28:05.forget it but what happens when the next elections come round? It's well

:28:05. > :28:10.documented the disconnect that people feel from folks like you on

:28:10. > :28:16.the hill? I do think that's the big change that's coming forward. We are

:28:16. > :28:19.getting to a seminal point. It's perhaps time for the older

:28:19. > :28:24.generations to genuinely make way for fresh thinking, fresh politics.

:28:24. > :28:28.Obviously, we'll try and guide and help bring people forward, but the

:28:28. > :28:31.real message about today is the future which is in the hands of our

:28:31. > :28:35.young people. I do believe they'll vote for change, look for something

:28:35. > :28:38.different and Northern Ireland has a wonderful, wonderful future,

:28:38. > :28:43.provided we all pull together. Thank you very much indeed both of

:28:43. > :28:47.you. Back to you, Noel. At one point, the President spoke

:28:47. > :28:51.about Sylvia Gordon who works for a group called Groundwork and he

:28:51. > :28:57.couldn't find her. You were speculating perhaps she was in

:28:57. > :29:01.Enniskillen protesting against the G8. I was just being bold! It could

:29:01. > :29:05.have been she just couldn't stick it any more, it was too vacuous for her

:29:05. > :29:11.and she bolted, but she'll have to speak for herself. No, I was struck

:29:11. > :29:16.by the party political broadcast there by Basil McCrae which will

:29:16. > :29:21.make other party leaders cross that he got a free run there to do his

:29:21. > :29:26.stuff. Except of course that what is it that he's saying and talking

:29:26. > :29:29.about? It's the same thing, young people have been talking about

:29:29. > :29:35.breaking down barriers, are they actually supposed to go along to the

:29:35. > :29:44.Shankill and set about with doing the Berlin Wall job with sledge

:29:44. > :29:52.hammers? Basil has been attacked Sa Tirically by someone for forming a

:29:52. > :29:55.party which is a little cheesy and oily. The cheesiness and oiliness of

:29:55. > :29:58.that talk I don't think does anything good for anybody. I don't

:29:58. > :30:02.think it is political. I don't think it is useful. I think it's empty.

:30:02. > :30:06.You have to specify what you are talking about when you are talking

:30:06. > :30:11.about prejudice. Mixed marriage is a little closer to the bone if Obama

:30:11. > :30:15.made anyone there think about that a little harder, I spoke as someone in

:30:15. > :30:18.a mixed marriage and I think it should be compulsory and it should

:30:18. > :30:24.be instantly established as a ground rule for the new society in Northern

:30:24. > :30:28.Ireland. Catherine, with an outsider's eye?

:30:28. > :30:32.Yes, he did break down the bariers and that was another message. It's

:30:32. > :30:36.in your hands, he was saying, and seeing the young woman saying it's

:30:36. > :30:39.my generation, our generation that will make the change, you know,

:30:39. > :30:46.being around for 40 years, it's every young person's generation to

:30:46. > :30:49.make the change, but almost 30 years ago, Barack Obama in Harvard made a

:30:49. > :30:55.speech that I heard and he preached hope and change and he's still doing

:30:55. > :30:59.that many years later. He arrive and allowed drones immediately to drop

:30:59. > :31:06.bombs in Pakistan. The hope and change has not happened in very many

:31:06. > :31:11.ways. I guess no-one would say it would happen immediately. He wants

:31:11. > :31:15.an awful lot of hopes. He said it's not changed, it's the first step in

:31:15. > :31:20.a process of change, I suppose. The same is true here, I mean you talk

:31:20. > :31:26.about the new generation and each generation, he said, makes a little

:31:26. > :31:30.more space for peace. Actually, that has not been true in his case. I

:31:30. > :31:36.could be argued that he's instituted a far wider security regime in the

:31:36. > :31:42.United States and the world that he has hyped violence that he's risen

:31:42. > :31:48.his level of violence and risen it. Whilst still telling everybody they

:31:48. > :31:52.are the good guys. His rhetoric and the fact that he is the first

:31:52. > :31:56.African-American President raised hopes so high, they had to be

:31:56. > :31:59.disappointed and it's unrealistic of course to say what a President can

:31:59. > :32:03.and can't do. We have to remember what the limits are, but the hopes

:32:03. > :32:08.have been dashed to a very large degree.

:32:08. > :32:12.As an outsider looking at the peace, progress and change, one can be

:32:12. > :32:15.disappoint and one can also be hopeful. I think perhaps you might

:32:15. > :32:19.find that message vacuous, but it's part of politics and part of the

:32:19. > :32:24.ongoing struggle. I think the struggle and working at it is

:32:24. > :32:32.another message and he didn't give marching order, but rather told

:32:32. > :32:38.people to seek a better world. Catherine. Thank you for your

:32:38. > :32:41.contribution. Thank you both very much. There is the two-day G8 Summit

:32:41. > :32:47.on BBC Northern Ireland outlets. That's it from this special. There