Adams: Political change is occurring

Political change is occurring in Northern Ireland even if its pace is too slow for some, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams insisted today.

After a meeting with President George Bush's special envoy to the North, Ambassador Mitchell Reiss in Belfast, Mr Adams said his party expected the US Government to play a positive role in the push to revive devolution at Stormont before the summer.

The West Belfast MP said: “We put to Mitchell Reiss our view that US governments, under President Clinton and President Bush, have in the past played a positive role in the Irish peace process.

“We are looking to the US administration to pursue that even handed and balanced approach in the time ahead.”

He added: ``While considerable time and energy will be devoted in the months ahead to restoring the political institutions it is important that people realise that the situation is not static.

“Change is happening. The pace may be too slow for us but change is happening incrementally every day.

“There is a joint Irish/British Secretariat working in Armagh implementing all-Ireland measures across a range of issues.

“There are co-ordinated major infra-structure projects ongoing. And there is increasing all-Ireland co-operation on health, education, agriculture and other matters.”