PRESIDENT Barack Obama has urged Northern Ireland leaders to keep the peace process on track during a speech on his arrival in Northern Ireland for the G8 summit.
The US president addressed thousands of students and many dignitaries including Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the North’s first and deputy ministers, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall.
Introduced by his wide Michelle, he said: “There are still people who have reaped the rewards of peace; there are still those not convinced that the effort is worth it. There are still wounds that have not been healed and communities where tension and mistrust hangs in the air.
"If you continue your courageous path towards a permanent peace and all the social and economic benefits that come with it that won’t just be good for you," he added.
"It will be good for this entire island, for the United Kingdom, for Europe and it will be good for the world."
This afternoon he will meet world leaders during the G8 summit in Enniskillen.
Watch Obama’s speech in Belfast earlier today:
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