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09/04/2009
Derry Passport Changes Welcomed
News that the Irish government has changed rules on passports to allow people from NI applying for Irish passports to list their place of birth as Londonderry - not Derry - have been welcomed.
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said the gesture was timed to coincide with the 11th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
He said that enshrined the right of NI residents to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both.
"I believe that for this birthright to be fulfilled, people of both traditions in Northern Ireland must be able to express their culture, language, and tradition in a climate of tolerance and mutual respect, free from discrimination or harassment," Mr Martin said.
"This decision carries no implications as regards the official or legal title of any political entity.
"It is simply an attempt to accommodate the different traditions on this island."
The decision was welcomed by East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell: "The fact that the government of the Irish Republic has abandoned the exclusionist nationalist agenda of forcing people to list their address as 'Derry', when they apply for a passport is indicative of new political realities," Mr Campbell said.
(BMcC)
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said the gesture was timed to coincide with the 11th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
He said that enshrined the right of NI residents to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both.
"I believe that for this birthright to be fulfilled, people of both traditions in Northern Ireland must be able to express their culture, language, and tradition in a climate of tolerance and mutual respect, free from discrimination or harassment," Mr Martin said.
"This decision carries no implications as regards the official or legal title of any political entity.
"It is simply an attempt to accommodate the different traditions on this island."
The decision was welcomed by East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell: "The fact that the government of the Irish Republic has abandoned the exclusionist nationalist agenda of forcing people to list their address as 'Derry', when they apply for a passport is indicative of new political realities," Mr Campbell said.
(BMcC)
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