Ministers meet with North Belfast community leaders

First Minister Rt Hon Peter D. Robinson MLA and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MP MLA have met with community leaders from North Belfast today to discuss recent events in the area.

Mr Robinson said: “The Executive is determined to do all that it can to ensure that the events of recent weeks in North Belfast will not be repeated. We are committed to assisting community leaders in their efforts to prevent further violence.

“Delivering the Strategic Good Relations Programme and building on the positive contribution made by the Community Empowerment Partnerships are key elements in the promotion of good relations in North Belfast.

“We remain firmly committed to promoting relationships both across and within the communities of North Belfast and are keen to work with community leaders to identify how we can best direct constrained resources to achieve maximum impact on the ground.”

Mr McGuinness said: “We all witnessed the recent scenes as they unfolded in North Belfast. Today we met with community leaders to hear how these events have impacted on the community and to identify actions to ensure they are not repeated.

“Those involved in recent violence are not representative of, nor have the support of the communities. The way forward is through dialogue, respect and agreement.

“We will bring forward the CSI strategy to tackle prejudice and hate. As this is being developed we will continue to work with and support the community to deal with the aftermath of last week and to empower them to work together.”