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Yes we can

February 17, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Once no, but now definitely yes according to Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness who, together with First Minister Peter Robinson, undertook a whirlwind tour of Washington and New York last week to brief U.S. political and Irish American leaders on their recent return to power sharing government in Belfast, and to present Northern Ireland as a solid and dependable place to invest, even in the midst of a global economic downturn.
In an interview with the Echo, McGuinness said that the agreement on power sharing would pave the way for “the transfer of power from England.”
He said there remained “a bit of work” dealing with the modalities, but this would be accomplished.
McGuinness said that he and Robinson would be working to build public support for the transfer.
“We’re well on our way to resolving the issues,” McGuinness told the Echo.
Those issues primarily revolve around policing and justice powers, both of which, according to McGuinness, were “crying out” for a resolution.
The general expectation is that the transfer of these powers to the North assembly and executive will take place sometime in 2009.
McGuinness said there was a “tremendous interest” both in the peace process, and in the process as a model to be used for resolving conflict around the world.
A conflict resolution center for Northern Ireland was being looked at. One possible site for it was the former Long Kesh prison.
McGuinness said that political progress in the North would go hand in hand with needed economic development. Both ministers spent much of their time on American soil promoting the virtues of Northern Ireland as a rewarding place for U.S. investment.
Asked if he thought that the present economic climate made the North a more difficult sell, McGuinness said that because of the economic crisis it had actually been a good time to come to America.
“We think it is precisely the right time because many American companies are seeking a low cost environment to operate,” he said.
“And we have a good package to offer,” McGuinness added.
Northern Ireland was an internal springboard into the huge European Union market and had a workforce that was 60 percent under the age of 40.
“I’ve been very encouraged by the response here,” said McGuinness.
“In a falling economy we are all very conscious of our responsibilities to develop our economy. We will weather the storm,” he said.

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