Obama puts peace at top of G8 agenda

Global attention focused on the North today as US President Barack Obama was making his most direct attempt to solidify the peace process.

The president’s keynote address in Belfast came as the exclusion zone around the G8 summit venue in Fermanagh was reinforced to deter protestors and dissident republicans.

Boats were banned from entering a 10km stretch of lower Lough Erne as the clampdown went into full force for the two-day meeting of world leaders.

Growing tension over the Syrian civil war threatened to overshadow the summit, which British prime minister David Cameron had hoped to focus on tax avoidance and world trade

Mr Cameron held a frosty joint news conference with Russian premier Vladimir Putin in London yesterday ahead of the gathering.

Clearly angered by Mr Obama’s announcement that he was ready to start supplying weapons to the rebels that are seeking to overthrow his ally, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Mr Putin insisted both sides in the conflict had “blood on their hands”.

The first G8 summit session will focus on trade with a working dinner looking at foreign policy issues, especially Syria.

Counter-terrorism will be the main focus tomorrow, along with international action on tax avoidance.

Mr Cameron said holding the summit in the North would be a real life lesson in conflict resolution for other leaders.

“The progress that we have seen in Northern Ireland is truly remarkable,” said Mr Cameron. “Ten or 20 years ago, a G8 in Fermanagh would have been unimaginable.

“But today Northern Ireland is a very different place. And I want the world to see this new Northern Ireland that is open for business, investment, and tourism. A symbol of hope to the world,” he added.

The G8 summit hosted by Mr Cameron, brings together the leaders of the US, Russia, German, France, Japan, Britain, Italy, and Canada for their annual summit.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny will attend the fringes of the event as the current head of the EU.

Some 900 gardaí are patrolling border areas, with 3,600 police from Britain transferred to back up a 5,000-strong PSNI force for the duration of the summit.

Initial protests appeared small in number.

However, plans remain in place to shut down mobile phone networks in the border areas in extreme circumstances.

Mr Cameron’s hopes of securing an “economic Nato” deal that would free up trade between the US and EU looked likely to get bogged down in Fermanagh as major obstacles to the agreement remained in place.