Bill Clinton: “Well, the thing I found heartening is that with these various actions, violent actions, that the main bedrock…”

“Well, the thing I found heartening is that with these various actions, violent actions, that the main bedrock parties--nobody has quit yet. There was a time when with this level of provocation the whole thing would have just come apart. And I think that's a tribute to the trust that the parties have in the Prime Minister. I think it's a tribute to the efforts of the Irish Government. And frankly I think it reflects an understanding by the people who are around the edges of this process that the vast majority of the people of Northern Ireland want a peaceful resolution to this. So for those reasons, even though I don't minimize for a moment the enormous hurdles that lie ahead, I'm fairly optimistic. I think the fact that the blows that have been rained on this process by people who thought that if they could go out and kill a few people it would come apart--the fact that it hasn't is a tribute to the Prime Minister, to the Irish Government, to the people of Northern Ireland working for peace, and to the public in Northern Ireland. That's where they are. They want this worked out in a peaceful way. Public Responsibilities”