Mr Clinton, who played golf with the former Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dick Spring on Sunday, met with President McAleese at her official residence on Monday.

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But as long ago as December 1993 in the Dail, and then again in June 1994, the Irish foreign minister, Dick Spring, stated unequivocally that the key to Sinn Fein joining political discussions was a permanent cessation of violence, and that there would have to be verification of the handing over of arms.

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Regulations aimed at protecting fish stocks in the Irish Sea mean their boats are tied up for 10 weeks during the spring.

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