The visit to Derry this week by former US President Bill Clinton is “a great boost for the city,” SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan has said.
During his visit on Wednesday, President Clinton will pay tribute to Nobel peace laureate John Hume in a keynote address in Guildhall Square.
Mr Durkan said by returning to Guildhall Square, it showed he had not forgotten the North and “hasn’t forgotten Derry in particular.”
Mr Durkan added: “John Hume and Bill Clinton have a very warm relationship.
“Bill Clinton very much relied upon John Hume’s judgment and read on the situation here in the North at various stages of the peace process.
“Indeed, John was his best temperature gauge for how bad things were, or the prospects for the future.
“The role played by Irish America in the peace process for over 40 years cannot be underestimated.
“From the original contacts between John Hume and Senator Ted Kennedy in the 1970s right through to the central involvement of Bill Clinton in the lead up to the Good Friday Agreement, the United States has shown an unwavering commitment to securing the prospect of lasting peace and stability here.
“Bill Clinton’s visit to Magee also underlines the recognition he has for that campus.”
Mr Durkan concluded: “He will undoubtedly help us to remember that along with all the other challenges we currently face there are also big opportunities out there for the taking.”
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