Clinton Begins Irish Visit

D U B L I N, Ireland, Dec. 12 -- President Clinton, the son of Irish ancestors, arrived in Ireland today with hopes of overcoming “lingering demons of the past” that threaten to wreck the Northern Ireland peace process, all but halted by mounting distrust on both ides.

While the White House downplays hopes that Clinton can broker steps toward a lasting peace, the president, with just weeks left in office, says: “If there’s something I can do before I leave to make one more shot to resolve this, I will do it.”

After an overnight flight, Clinton, first lady and Sen.-elect Hillary Rodham Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, were greeted at Dublin International Airport by Ireland’s prime minister, Bertie Ahern. Clinton and Ahern chatted on the tarmac for several minutes; the pair planned to meet again later in the day.

In his first official stop, Clinton conferred with IrishPresident Mary McAleese at her home in Dublin’s 1,750-acre Phoenix Park.

During his visit to Ireland, Clinton also is to visit theGovernment Buildings in Dublin, attend a reception at the Guinness beer brewery and travel north to Dundalk, the last town before Northern Ireland’s border and a traditional power base for the Irish Republican Army.

Troubles, Past and Present

In the past 30 years, more than 3,600 people have died inpolitical and sectarian violence known as the Troubles.

The conflict is between two sides: Unionists — mostlyProtestants — who want Northern Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom, and the nationalists — mostly Catholic — who want to see the six counties of Northern Ireland reunited with the rest of the island.

In Belfast, Clinton is to meet with David Trimble, Protestant first minister in the new Northern Ireland government, and Seamus Mallon, the senior Roman Catholic in that government.

In London, Clinton is to stay at Prime Minister Tony Blair’s country mansion, give a foreign policy speech at the University of Warwick and have morning tea with Queen Elizabeth II.