Durkan salutes courage of New Yorkers

The people of New York must be admired for the dignity and the determination with which they have come through the terror attacks on their city on September 11, Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan said today.

Mr Durkan said after a visit to the site of the World Trade Centre attack that the determination of New Yorkers to rebuild their city was to be admired.

Speaking after he and First Minister David Trimble laid a wreath on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland at Ground Zero, Mr Durkan said: ‘‘People all over the world recognise New York, rightly recognise New York as the capital of the world.

‘‘Many people have relatives here or have visited and have had happy times and have visited the World Trade Centre.

‘‘So everybody in Northern Ireland joined in with the shock that was felt world wide.

‘‘The people of New York have come through this with great dignity and great determination.

‘‘You can just feel that in this city now, that the people do not want to forget in any way what happened.

‘‘What they really want is to rebuild.’’

There was a sombre atmosphere as Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan viewed the Ground Zero site and were briefed by a New York Police Department Detective Peter Friscia.

They viewed the rubble on the site where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre once stood from a platform adorned with official wreaths from world governments and personal tributes from people all over the world including those who had lost relatives and colleagues in the September 11 attack.

Mr Durkan and Mr Trimble then visited a fire station in the district of Chelsea which had lost five fire fighters in the attack.

They met firemen Jason McGimpsey who had been on duty on the day of the attack.

Mr McGimpsey, who is a nephew of a minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, Michael McGimpsey, recalled the events.

He paid tribute to the response of the local community to his fire brigade colleagues following the tragic events of September 11.

‘‘The community has been unbelievable,’’ he told the ministers.

‘‘Many arrived with flowers and to pay tribute to our fallen colleagues.’’