Colombian President Santos welcomed to Stormont

The President of Colombia has arrived in Belfast for a series of engagements which will focus on the parallels between the peace processes in his country and Northern Ireland.

On the third day of his state visit to the UK, Juan Manuel Santos was welcomed to Stormont Castle by First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

He shook hands with the unionist and republican leaders on the castle steps before heading inside for private discussions.

Sinn Fein veteran Mr McGuinness is a former IRA commander while Democratic Unionist leader Mrs Foster was caught up in an IRA bus bombing during the Troubles and her father was badly injured in an IRA murder bid.

Together the pair now lead the devolved power-sharing institutions forged during the region's peace process.

Mr Santos will later have a separate meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire.

The president is then due to make a public address at a business and civic lunch in the landmark Titanic Belfast visitor attraction.

His visit to Northern Ireland will conclude by meeting a number of community groups working at sectarian interfaces in north Belfast.

Mr Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to broker a peace deal with left-wing Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels.

Colombia has been blighted by a bitter and bloody internal conflict for decades, as Northern Ireland was before the historic Good Friday Agreement in 1998 paved the way for a more peaceful future.

A number of politicians from Northern Ireland have contributed to initiatives to reach a settlement in Colombia.

Although September's peace deal was narrowly rejected by Colombia's citizens in a referendum, the president has extended a ceasefire with the country's largest rebel movement to allow more time to save the proposed accord.

More than 220,000 people - mostly civilians - were killed during the 52-year conflict and more than eight million were driven from their homes.

At a banquet for Mr Santos at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, the Queen highlighted the transformation Northern Ireland has undergone as a consequence of its peace process.

"This week you will visit Northern Ireland, which now has one of the largest financial services markets in the United Kingdom outside London," she said.

"Over recent years, I have seen at close hand the transformation of a people held back for so many years by conflict and now, through peace, beginning to realise their full potential."

Mrs Foster said "peace and prosperity" were the two main items on the agenda during the discussions.

"I welcome and extend the hand of friendship to President Santos and the visiting delegation on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland," she said.

"The Colombian peace process is a significant priority for their government and I know many organisations and people across Northern Ireland have helped in nudging forward the path to peace. It is a challenging path but one worth travelling.

"It is therefore very significant for us to be associated with a state visit to the United Kingdom and, just as Her Majesty The Queen said at Tuesday's state banquet at Buckingham Palace, Northern Ireland is now beginning to realise its full potential.

"I hope this visit to Northern Ireland will encourage collaboration, partnership and renewed engagement between our respective business sectors.

"The Northern Ireland Executive is committed to establishing a vibrant and sustainable local economy. Our continued economic success will come through a renewed focus on exports so promoting international sales is a key priority and I am confident our relationship with the Colombian market will be one that continues to grow.

"I wish President Santos well in all his efforts to restore the peaceful and prosperous times the Colombian people deserve."

Mr McGuinness described the president as a "very important visitor".

"Many of us have been very much involved over the course of recent years in supporting negotiations that were taking place in Havana between the Farc and Columbian government," he said.

"I was in Colombia two years ago at the invitation of President Santos and spent some time with him. Our involvment in it began some time ago when I received a phone call from my friend Roth Myre, who was a chief negotiator for FW de Clerk in South Africa and as a result of that many of our negotiators have gone to Havana in the course of the last number of years.

"Of course we are delighted at the successful outcome of those negotiations. We know there was a disappointment about the failure of the referendum to pass but the peace process continues.

"Negotiations have recommenced and we hope that there will be a successful outcome from those negotiations."