Word: belfast
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Within hours there were signs of a return to the bad old days. In Belfast police were issued rifles for the first time in more than a year. Meanwhile, speculation swirled over whether the explosion signals a rift between the I.R.A.'s military council and Sinn Fein, the group's political arm. Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein's president, moved swiftly to distance himself from the bomb and tried to get negotiations back on track. But the possibility that Adams was unable to prevent the attack--or, worse, that he may not have even known about it--calls into question...
...prospect of the President's arrival in Belfast last week was itself a spur toward peace. Clinton's visit helped "concentrate the mind," in the words of British Prime Minister John Major, and thereby sparked a sudden agreement that gave the peace process renewed momentum...
Despite the difficulties in achieving a permanent settlement, the 15 months since the cease-fire have seen a transformation in Northern Ireland. Belfast, for years a killing ground, provides some of the most dramatic evidence of change. Bombings, shootings and violence there used to be normal, everyday events, like delivering the milk or walking the dog. Now the streets are quiet, and the British soldiers who once patrolled them in full battle dress are gone. Gone too are the ubiquitous roadblocks and checkpoints. "People are trying to put those things behind them," said Chris McGimpsey, a Protestant councilor...
...hallmark of this era is that opponents are actually talking to one another for the first time. While in Belfast, Clinton held a reception at which even the leaders of the smaller and more militant Unionist parties, people with strong links to the Protestant paramilitaries, were sharing canapes and drinks with Catholic leaders who only 15 months ago were their bitterest enemies. Clinton met with all the major Catholic and Protestant leaders and paid tribute to their efforts at holding the cease-fire. He spoke for 25 minutes with the Rev. Ian Paisley, the sour patriarch of Protestant unionism...
...spirit was expressed most eloquently by a Catholic girl, Catherine Hamill, who read Clinton a letter of welcome on Thursday morning. On the night of Sept. 8, 1987, when she was 11 months old, two Protestant gunmen burst through the front door of her Belfast home and shot her father dead. At the time, she was being held by her mother, who was watching television. "My first daddy died in the Troubles," she recalled. "It was the saddest day of my life. Now it is nice and peaceful. I like having peace and quiet for a change instead of people...