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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| McGuinness in Iraq peace mission | McGuinness in Iraq peace mission |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness is in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to launch a new peace initiative. | Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness is in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to launch a new peace initiative. |
| Sunni and Shia factions are to sign up to a commitment to non-violence similar to the Mitchell Principles used in NI. | Sunni and Shia factions are to sign up to a commitment to non-violence similar to the Mitchell Principles used in NI. |
| It includes an undertaking to engage in peaceful negotiations and the disbandment of all paramilitary groups. | |
| Previous talks, involving the opposing factions, were held in Helsinki and included NI representatives and South African political figures. | |
| Although Mr McGuinness said he was optimistic about the outcome of the initiative he told the BBC that it was still very much "early days". | Although Mr McGuinness said he was optimistic about the outcome of the initiative he told the BBC that it was still very much "early days". |
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme "I described it before I left Ireland - our participation in Helsinki 1 and Helsinki 2 - as the dropping of a pebble in a pool with the waves reaching out to all shores," he said. | FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme "I described it before I left Ireland - our participation in Helsinki 1 and Helsinki 2 - as the dropping of a pebble in a pool with the waves reaching out to all shores," he said. |
| "We have come to encourage them, to give them moral support, and to say that the world is watching and that the world expects that something very powerful can grow from what was a fairly weak seedling in a forest in Helsinki." | "We have come to encourage them, to give them moral support, and to say that the world is watching and that the world expects that something very powerful can grow from what was a fairly weak seedling in a forest in Helsinki." |
| Former speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Lord Alderdice, is also in Iraq. | |
| "I have been to a lot of trouble spots in various parts of the world, but none of them are more militarised than this one," he said. | |
| 'Heavy duty' | |
| "It's very heavy duty, and people are very careful indeed. Furthermore, the amount of military paraphernalia and concrete here is quite extraordinary. | |
| "I was also saying to Martin McGuinness as we came into the airport, I've never seen an airport of that size with so few civilian planes in it." |