23/01/2012

McGuinness Considers Meeting The Queen

The Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland has revealed he has not ruled out meeting with the Queen in the future.

Martin McGuinness was asked during an event at St James Palace in London last week whether such a meeting would ever take place.

Speaking last night in BBC’s Inside Politics programme he said he was still thinking about it and he would not rule it out.

"I've made it clear that the visit of Queen Elizabeth of Britain to the South was something that we looked at with considerable interest," he said.

"And I think the fact that she was prepared to recognise the importance of the Irish language; that she was prepared to stand in a very dignified way to honour those patriots who struggled in 1916 to bring about a free and independent 32-county Irish Republic, that made an impact upon me."

(LB/DW)


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