Mr Mitchell, who chaired the 1998 Good Friday negotiations to their successful outcome, told the PA news agency that he had made alternative arrangements to address the event at Queen’s University from a TV studio in the United States. The speech delivered by the veteran diplomat on the first day of the conference has been lauded as the most impactful of the entire event. As he prepares to return to the United States on Friday, Mr Mitchell described his visit to Northern Ireland as “very meaningful and emotional”. Senator George Mitchell stands beside a new bust of himself by Irish visual artist Colin Davidson at Queen’s University Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)“That’s the fundamental aim of democratic societies everywhere. George Mitchell said he hopes to return to Northern Ireland(Brian Lawless/PA)“The doctors have told me that I might go for a period of time without a resumption of cancer and die from something else, I’m going to be 90 years old in a couple of months.

Source: The Herald April 21, 2023 10:30 UTC