McGuinness visits United States and South Africa
Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinnes met with members of the House International Relations committee on Tuesday, 14 September, and will later today meet with key members of the White House staff. The meeting today, organized by Chairman Benjamin Gilman, was attended by Congressmen Donald Payne, Richard Neal, William Delahunt, Chris Smith, Joe Crowley, James Walsh, and Peter King.
McGuinness explained to the Congressmen and the assembled media that Sinn Féin intends to approach Senator Mitchell's review with a very ``positive and constructive frame of mind.''
``It is absolutely essential that the impasse in the Peace Process and the implementation of the Agreement is broken,'' he said. ``The best way to break that impasse is to implement the Agreement that we all signed up to last year.
``It is vitally important that the international community continues to play a powerful and positive role in the peace process. These Congressmen here today, as well as the White House, where I will go later, have played and will continue to play a vital roll.
On Wednesday, 15 September, McGuinness left the United States to travel to South Africa at the invitation of President Mbeke.
``He has taken a very keen role in the Peace Process in the course of recent months,'' said McGuinness, ``continuing the focus on the peace process from a South African perspective put on by President Mandela. I think we all have much to learn from the changes that have taken place in that country.''
McGuinness will be joined in South Africa by Sinn Féin Assembly member Gerry Kelly.
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