THE President, Mrs Robinson, warned yesterday that politicians must be more careful with their language if a lasting peace in Northern Ireland is to be achieved.
Speaking to the media at Coventry University after her first engagement of a three day visit to Britain, Mrs Robinson declined to name which politicians she was referring to but stressed it was their responsibility to move the process forward.
"It will be necessary to be prepared to be generous and forgiving and reconciling if we are going to have lasting peace. I think this must be in the forefront of people's minds. In particular, hopefully, politicians will be very careful of their language and be more prepared to promote peace and reconciliation rather than reinforce divisions," she said.
Although the President would not comment on the possibility of an IRA ceasefire over Christmas, she stressed she believed peace in Northern Ireland is "achievable" and hoped that by deepening bilateral relations between Britain and Ireland progress could be made.
"Coventry symbolises forgiveness, peace and reconciliation. We don't hear enough of this language, we hear more about the issues that divide and the fears, which are very real. But we must bridge them and build trust and we must find not just the language but the deeds that help us to underwrite that trust," she said.
After arriving yesterday morning at Birmingham Airport for her 15th visit to Britain, the President, accompanied by her husband, Mr Nicholas Robinson, was escorted to Coventry Cathedral to receive an honorary degree from the university.
Wearing a red coat and dress, President Robinson was introduced to the members of Comahaltas, a seven piece children's band who have competed all over Britain and Ireland. As they performed a selection of traditional pieces, the academic procession, led by the university's mace bearer, entered the cathedral.
In front of an audience of several hundred, the vice chancellor, Dr Michael Goldstein, read the eulogy to President Robinson from the great pulpit. Recalling her career as a senator, Dr Goldstein described President Robinson as a "breath of fresh air" and wondered whether her friends at Trinity College realised "they were party to the beginning of a remarkable and outstanding career of public service".
After detailing her political views, which Dr Goldstein stated provoked "torrents of offensive mail and was criticised by the stuffy legal establishment", he described her victorious presidential campaign.
"It was a voyage of personal discovery . . . A radical, a reformer, a liberal, Mary Robinson's triumph was recognition of her standing and stature as a woman of the people; a person who would be much more than ceremonial, who, despite the nonpolitical nature of the Presidency, would actively represent, encourage, energise, inspire. She did not let her people down."
Dr Goldstein added that her Presidency had brought a new meaning to the concept of Irishness and was a source of inspiration to the people of Coventry.
The university wanted to honour President Robinson, he said, "in recognition of her outstanding contributions to civil rights and social justice; of her enormous influence in achieving greater tolerance, reconciliation and peace".
Following the robing ceremony, President Robinson highlighted the work of the late Senator Gordon Wilson.
President Robinson last night delivered the annual Rede lecture, on the theme "Civil Society; Renewal at Work", at Cambridge University.