The economy of the North stood to gain very significantly from the opportunities created by the Hillsborough Agreement, US Special Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland, Declan Kelly has said.
Addressing the 40th plenary conference of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Cavan earlier today, Mr Kelly said that where there was certainty and stability, prosperity would follow.
“In the past month Northern Ireland found itself at yet another crossroads, one of many it has faced in the recent past,” Mr Kelly said.
“The choices it faced were complex as always, but at the end of the day they became very simple; a choice between progression and regression, between moving forward and moving backward, between leaving the past even further behind or allowing it to prevent the region from moving forward.
“I and the US Government and all of you I am sure were very glad to see that the political leaders of Northern Ireland chose the right path yet again; the path that we all believe now leaves Northern Ireland extremely well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunity that lies ahead.”
He added: “All of us together at various times these past several weeks spent many hours working to try to help to bring the policing and justice discussions to a successful conclusion.
“We now have a clear road-map as to how devolution can take place and it is imperative that in the coming weeks we work together in similar fashion to finish the job and complete the task in hand.”
He said throughout this journey the US had stood with the people of Northern Ireland “every step of the way”.
“Be assured that Northern Ireland has no greater friend than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has been committed to helping the peace process through an economic platform.
“Her belief that peace and prosperity work hand-in-hand led to her decision to appoint me as Economic Envoy last September.” He pointed out that Secretary Clinton, “spoke frequently in the final stages of the recent negotiations with the parties, to express the importance of reaching an agreement on policing and justice.
“Her belief is that peace and prosperity work hand-in-hand. She has vowed that the US will continue to help Northern Ireland reap the dividends of peace.
“Where there is certainty and stability, prosperity will follow. Our job now is to work together to help make that prosperity a reality.”
A native of Co Tipperary, Mr Kelly said: “I took this job because I care deeply about Northern Ireland and its future, but also because I truly believe that Northern Ireland is one of the places in the world, objectively, that is best positioned to take advantage of the current political and economic climate, in a way that will enable it to grow and to compete with the very best.”