Clinton sees peace process as model for solving other conflicts

America:At the end of an hour-long meeting in Washington yesterday with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the North's First Minister, Ian Paisley, said he understood the sacrifice she had made to keep her appointment with himself and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

"We're all old hands at electioneering. We know what it takes out of you. We know also that you have fundraising to do as well and here you are losing money today, talking to a Ballymena man and a Londonderry man and we appreciate that," he said.

The meeting with Clinton and yesterday's visit to the Oval Office followed a day on Capitol Hill that included meetings with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and dozens of senators and congressmen, including a number of powerful committee chairman.

Such access to the leading figures in both political parties is unusual for any European politician but it represents an astonishing achievement for a government like the North's, which has no diplomatic service and no experience of organising state visits.

The burden of arranging this week's visit fell on the five staff of the Northern Ireland Bureau, which represents the Northern executive in Washington, with some help from the British and Irish embassies.

In New York and Washington, the bureau depended on a network of friends, most of them Irish-Americans, to gain access to politicians and business leaders and to help with the logistics of the visit.

They successfully tapped into the enormous reservoir of good will towards the North and a frank curiosity among many Americans about the relationship between Paisley and McGuinness.

"I'm very excited to see them in person," Clinton said yesterday.

Paisley and McGuinness were adroit throughout the week in nurturing old friendships and acknowledging the key role played by President Bill Clinton and veteran Irish-American politicians, but also emphasising the continued support the peace process has received from the Bush administration.

The purpose of the visit was to promote US investment in the North and it remains to be seen how successful their sales pitch has been. Initial signs are encouraging and some of those present at the meeting with Clinton reported that it focused on practical measures to encourage economic links.

After the meeting, Clinton spoke of the role that "individual Americans" might play in helping the North's economy.

"There is great interest in having an opportunity for individual Americans to support what is going on now in the North," she said.

Some Irish-Americans close to Clinton have long argued for issuing bonds to promote economic development in the North, an initiative that could target the 40 million Americans who claim Irish ancestors.

President George Bush said he would encourage US companies to go to the North to view the investment opportunities for themselves, a step Paisley believes could be most effective.

Because the Northern conflict lasted so long, at least two generations of US politicians have been involved in some way with the quest for peace. These politicians, along with countless Irish-Americans in business, feel personally involved in the success of the new institutions.

Americans have another interest in the North, however, as a number of senators made clear to Paisley and McGuinness on Thursday. They want to explore how the experience of the Northern peace process can be applied to other conflicts, notably the sectarian divisions within Iraq.

Clinton said that, if she becomes president, the Northern experience will inform her foreign policy as she considers the role the US can play in helping to resolve conflicts throughout the world.

The US can do nothing, she said, until the people involved in conflicts and their leaders start to seek peace.

"But when that moment happens, the United States can play a very important role in facilitating the kind of process that we did over the course of the Clinton administration," she said.

"You can't do that if you stand off or point fingers or just yell encouragement. You have to be willing to get involved. There are a lot of opportunities around the world."