Good Friday Agreement: Clinton to honour Hume and Trimble

Former US President Bill Clinton is to return to Londonderry later to honour two of the main architects of the Good Friday Agreement.

He is making a poignant return to the city where he will speak about the late John Hume and Lord David Trimble.

In 1995, a huge crowd in Derry heard him urge young people to believe the future can be better than the past.

His visit comes on the second day of a conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

The three-day Agreement 25 conference features people who have made an impact on the international stage.

Bill and Hillary Clinton, former British prime minister Sir Tony Blair and former taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Bertie Ahern are among those taking part.

Former US Senator George Mitchell, who chaired the talks that led to the 1998 peace deal, was the keynote speaker at the conference's launch on Monday.

He called on the people of Northern Ireland not to give up on their belief that the future could be better.

The theme for Tuesday's event is Renew and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is to deliver a keynote video address.

Also known as the Belfast Agreement, it was a political deal designed to bring an end to 30 years of violent conflict known as the Troubles.

Signed on 10 April 1998 and approved by public votes in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, it is based on the idea of co-operation between communities.

It helped to set up a new government for Northern Ireland, representing both nationalists and unionists.

Read more: What is the Good Friday Agreement?

NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin will also speak and there will be a discussion involving politicians representing Northern Ireland's five main parties.

Mr Heaton-Harris is expected to use his speech to warn the "small minority who seek to drag Northern Ireland back to its darkest days".

He will also emphasise that they will "never succeed" as the people of Northern Ireland reject "violence which has no place in the society so many have fought so hard to create".

It is understood the NI secretary will call on those that want Northern Ireland to remain an integral part of the UK to "put the union first, restore the devolved institutions and get on with the job of delivering for the people of Northern Ireland".

A discussion about the Good Friday Agreement as a template for resolving global template will be chaired by former US special envoy Mitchell B Reiss.

Among those taking part are the former president of Ireland Mary Robinson and European Commission vice president Maroš Šefčovič.

In the afternoon, senior academics and law specialists will discuss human rights, social justice, peacebuilding and the legacy of the Good Friday Agreement.

A series of other events will include the voices of those directly affected by the Troubles, as well as women, young people and those working in the media.

Bill Clinton made history as the first sitting US president to visit Northern Ireland on 30 November 1995.

The Clintons have been long-time supporters of the Northern Ireland peace process and have made several high-profile visits in both official and personal capacities.

While in office, from 1993 to 2001, he visited three times.

Declan Harvey and Tara Mills explore the text of the Good Friday Agreement, scrutinising the deal's wording and hearing from some of the people who helped get it across the line.

Click here to listen on BBC Sounds.