Hardliners confront Clinton

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- President Bill Clinton was drawn into the bitter divisions in Northern Ireland when he was confronted by hardline Protestant politicians opposed to the Good Friday Agreement.

On the second day of his Northern Ireland mission, Clinton was meeting Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble, Deputy First Minister and SDLP deputy leader Seamus Mallon, and Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.

But as he and British Prime Minister Tony Blair made their way through the Great Hall of the Stormont Parliament Building, in Belfast, he was cornered by members of the Democratic Unionist Party and Northern Ireland Unionist Party

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Leading Democratic Unionists Nigel Dodds and Ian Paisley Jr. handed Clinton a formal protest letter.

They complain that they have been excluded from the afternoon's negotiations because of their opposition to the 1998 Good Friday peace accords.

Unlike his quick chats with other parties, Clinton barely spoke a word to the Democratic Unionists and he appeared visibly relieved as he finally broke free from the group.

Before the encounter, Paisley Jnr told the UK Press Association: "The prime minister and President Clinton both had the opportunity to meet the DUP but they have ignored that opportunity.

"They talk about inclusivity in this process but they have not shown any willingness to meet the Democratic Unionists and will only be meeting the pro-Agreement parties separately.

"That is their choice and it is their loss."

Cedric Wilson, leader of the Northern Ireland Unionist Party, afterwards said he told Clinton that he had been soft on terrorism, allowing "terrorists on the street and gunmen in the government."

"He got rather upset and angry," Wilson said. "As he was moving off, he looked back rather angrily and said to me, 'You're accusing me, then, of encouraging terrorism.' And I said, 'Exactly, Mr. President.' That's how it was left. No hugs and kisses."

Clinton's visit -- his third to the region as president -- comes at a crucial stage in the peace process, with political arguments over the speed of disarmament by the paramilitaries and concerns about the reforms to the Royal Ulster Constabulary police force.

Paisley Jr said the party had pressed the president on a number of issues, including the lack of progress on paramilitary disarmament.

He said: "First of all we raised the issue of being excluded from talks and the attempt to marginalise us. We said that does not work. It only insults our electorate.

"President Clinton said he accepted that and said he didn't want to exclude us. We then dealt with decommissioning and asked which commitments he intended to get on delivering disarmament.

"I told him we were not happy with the RUC being emasculated and asked him what he was doing to persuade Roman Catholic church leaders and the SDLP to support the police."

Clinton's arrival at Stormont marked the first formal function of his visit to Belfast, part of a three-day trip that may be the last official foreign tour of his presidency.

He has already visited Dublin and Dundalk, in Ireland, and will meet Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

President Clinton is making his third -- and last -- visit to Ireland as president

CNN.com Europe political editor Robin Oakley said the importance of Clinton's visit should not be underestimated, despite British and Irish ministers playing down any expectation of a breakthrough.

"The British and Irish remain hopeful all the same that some of the presidential stardust will rub off," Oakley said.

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