US ambassador hopes Saville will heal wounds
DAVID Cameron was right to apologise for the events of Bloody Sunday – but soldiers' actions that day are not reflective of the British Army, the US ambassador to the UK has said.
Speaking to the News Letter during a visit to Belfast on Tuesday, Louis Susman praised the "excellent" House of Commons' speech by the prime minister in which he unequivocally apologised for the actions of some paratroopers that day in 1972.
Sitting in the Stormont Hotel after meeting first minister Peter Robinson and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, the most senior US foreign diplomat chooses his words carefully when asked about the sensitive issue of the Saville Report.
NO US-UK STRAINS, INSISTS AMBASSADOR
But the tenor of his brief comments on the issue is clear: some soldiers' actions on Bloody Sunday were indefensible.
Nevertheless, he expresses hope that the conclusion of the 190 million inquiry will lead to improved cross-party relationships at Stormont.
"I think we hope it will lead to greater harmony among all the parties," the 71-year-old former investment banker, who is close to the president, says.
"We thought the prime minister's statement was excellent and it was a long time in coming."
Mr Susman's remarks echo similar words from the president in a telephone conversation with Mr Cameron, also on Tuesday.
The US State Department said that during the call Mr Obama had "noted the historic nature of the prime minister's statement last week on the inquiry into the tragic events of Bloody Sunday, commending its contribution to Northern Ireland's reconciliation efforts".
Almost four decades on from the harrowing consequences of army discipline breaking down on January 30,1972, the Parachute Regiment is preparing to again deploy to Afghanistan where paras will fight alongside US troops.
Asked whether he felt the actions of the paratroopers involved in Bloody Sunday's killings were representative of the British Army, the ambassador says: "We have the highest regard for the British Army, the highest regard for the bravery and courage in Afghanistan and as Americans we are extremely grateful for the contribution that the government and the people and armed forces of the United Kingdom has contributed."
Mr Susman is regarded as very close to Mr Obama – a fact reinforced by the fact that he was given the top diplomatic job as ambassador to London – and he is known among some in the US as 'the hoover' for his ability to hoover up donations to Mr Obama's campaign.
Mr Susman says that he first met the now president in 2002, when Mr Obama was running for the senate, and he says that their relationship has "developed since then".
He acknowledges that Mr Obama, elected at a difficult time on a wave of hope for political change, has not lived up to some of his own expectations.
"I don't think anyone could have lived up to the expectations. I think the expectations were not realistic.
"On the other hand, I know the president had high expectations that he could change the climate and atmosphere of partisanship in Washington which he tried to do and, quite frankly, hasn't succeeded.
"But when you think about what he's accomplished in a very, very short period of time in a troubled world, he's stopped the depression in America and been a leader in recesssion-recovery globally; he's enacted healthcare (reform), which has been on the agenda for presidents for over a hundred years; he is dealing every day with the extremism problem; he's dealing with Afghanistan; he's getting troops out of Iraq; he is leading in the financial reforms area; he has set a jobs bill – I mean, he's had a lot on his plate and I think he's performed magnificently in a year and a half.
"If you were to ask him, he would say that there's many objectives he hasn't accomplished but I think the scorecard's pretty much on the plus side."
He praises the president, who is a fellow Chicagoan, as someone with "a great capacity to absorb knowledge, to seek answers, to drain everybody's opinions" before making decisions.
"He's very, very smart, he's very emotionally grounded and he works very hard.
"His election overnight created a new view around the world of America."
Many outside – and some inside – the US viewed the infamously poorly-travelled President George W Bush as having cavalier disregard for the views of those outside America.
But Mr Susman says that how the world views the world's leading superpower is crucial.
"Of course it does, of course it does," he says emphatically.
"You love to have, and you want to have, and you nurture, people's respect, their admiration and their cooperation."
Mr Susman gives nothing away about the potential for a future presidential visit, only saying: "I've learned a long time ago, I can't commit the president to his travel schedule."
Asked whether Northern Ireland can learn from how America has dealt with difficult periods in its past – such as the treatment of native Americans and Afro-Americans – Mr Susman sidesteps any pronouncement on how Ulster should address the past.
"As to situations that you ask regarding the past in America, history is one that you learn from and I think that our actions and all the types of situations you mention are always a work in progress to be better, but I think we've handled them in the last few years pretty well."
He adds: "Perhaps we in America could learn some things from the Irish."
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
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