By Susan Falvella-Garraty
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Northern Ireland’s first minister, David Trimble, and the deputy minister, Mark Durkan, made the rounds during their visit last week to Washington. At a time when U.S. officials have to focus an enormous amount of energy on Afghanistan, it was surprising to see senior White House and State Department officials, and members of congress spend long periods with the two Stormont leaders.
Bush administration special envoy to Ireland, Ambassador Richard Haass, spent close to an hour with the two leaders and then personally escorted them to a White House meeting with the national security council advisor, Dr. Condoleezza Rice.
At a joint press conference at the National Press Club, Durkan remarked on prominence of Northern Ireland on the Bush agenda.
“We are encouraged that the appointment of someone of Richard Haass’s calibre and profile to advise on Northern Ireland is a sign that that commitment will continue,” he said.
The two were here primarily to open the new Northern Ireland Bureau’s downtown office — now separated from its former home on the campus of the British Embassy.
Sign up to The Irish Echo Newsletter
According to staff, the cost for the new digs for the Northern Ireland bureau is over $500,000. No one could answer what would become of the newly hired staff and the cost of leasing expensive Washington office space should Trimble decide to shut down the Assembly in the future — as he has threatened to do.
New York’s junior senator, Sen. Hillary Rodham-Clinton, met with the assembly leaders in her office and added praise for their efforts. After a meeting with Sen. Ted Kennedy, the senior senator from Massachussetts praised the SDLP’s decision to support the new Northern Ireland Police Board.