An historic visit by Britain's Queen Elizabeth to the Irish Republic has moved significantly closer but depends on the completion of devolution in Northern Ireland, President Mary McAleese said today.
President McAleese greets Britain's Queen Elizabeth at Queen's University Belfast today. Photo: Paul Faith/Pool/PA Wire
Mrs McAleese and the Queen had a 10-minute private meeting in Belfast at the home of the vice chancellor of Queen's University today before going on to the university to celebrate the centenary of it receiving its royal charter.
There has been mounting speculation that the day of an announcement about a visit by the monarch to Dublin was getting closer.
Speaking after the meeting, Mrs McAleese
said: "I think the day is significantly closer."
She said everyone knew what had to be done to make a visit possible.
"We know that it is dependent on the completion of devolution, which hopefully will not be too far away. That means the return of policing and criminal justice responsibility to the Executive in Northern Ireland.
"We had hoped that would be May. Now we are not entirely sure what the time scale is. We hope it will keep closely to the timetable. When that is done, when devolution is completed, I think then anything is possible."
Mrs McAleese said she thought it unlikely a visit would take place this year.
"I would be hopeful, though, that it would happen sooner rather than later," she said.
She said: "As you know, I am long on the record as saying I would wish that the visit would happen. We know that Her Majesty wishes to come and we know that we wish her to come. Please goodness it will happen."
The private meeting between the British monarch and Mrs McAleese and their spouses was the fifth they have had, but their first in Northern Ireland.
The president said they had a very good discussion and were very positive.
"Both of us talked about how miraculous these times are in Northern Ireland," she said.
"Both of us are very positive about things, both making the point that, in the past, when we have met, these were the days we hoped for and prayed for and were never sure when they would come — now we were sitting really enjoying it."
Relations between Britain and Ireland were now better than they had been for centuries, she said, adding that there was warmth, friendliness, mutual respect and confidence.
The meeting between the two heads of state was the highlight of the second day of a three-day visit by the Queen to Northern Ireland.
PA