(11 Feb 2000) English/Nat
United States President Bill Clinton says he still hopes there is way for the Protestant-Catholic cabinet to survive in Northern Ireland.
Friday is the deadline Britain set for the Irish Republican Army to lay down its weapons.
And London appears to be ready to strip power from the province's Protestant-Catholic cabinet, based on the I-R-A's apparent refusal to disarm.
Speaking at a dedication ceremony to former White House Press Secretary Jim Brady, President Clinton declined to comment in too much detail on the situation in Northern Ireland.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"At least before I came here the thing was still hanging on fire, that is it was not clear to me what was going to happen. I have been heavily involved in the whole administration as been in the last few weeks and trying to keep the Irish peace process on track. We believe all the requirements of the Good Friday accord which the voters of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic embraced should be fulfilled and we hope that a way can be found to keep this going until there is a suspension and that's all I want to say because we are working hard on this and there is a chance that we can go forward without a suspension"
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U.S. President
If things do change, President Clinton warned both sides of trying to take advantage of the situation.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Should there be a suspension it is imperative that all parties do it on terms which do not allow a backslide, and that the opportunity be taken to figure out a way forward that again will allow everybody to meet all the requirements that the Irish voters voted for in breathtaking margins. I don't want to say anything else until we know how this plays out today. This is just .... we've got a few more hours here today, when we see how it's resolved I'll say a little more but I have to be very careful, I've been working very hard on this and I want to be a positive not a negative factor."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U.S. President
This latest crisis started when Northern Ireland's disarmament commission reported late last month that the I-R-A never agreed to disarm.
The bi-partisan cabinet has been in power for just 72 days.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
