It was confirmed back in February that Bill Clinton would visit Northern Ireland to mark the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The event it to take place on 10 April.
Trina Vargo, President of the US-Ireland Alliance, welcomed confirmation of the former president's visit.
"President Clinton's involvement was crucial in bringing peace to Northern Ireland," she said.
"I am sure that President Clinton's presence will inspire the young leaders participating in this event to make their own contributions to the process and to the relationship between the US and the island of Ireland."
The BBC does not say whether the invitation included Hillary Clinton, who of course has made much of her role in Northern Ireland.
However, two days ago Bill Clinton pulled out of the conference.
Former US President Bill Clinton has pulled out of a conference in Belfast next month to mark the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
A spokesperson said his decision was due to "changes to his schedule."
Now a leading Unionist, Ian Paisley Jnr, is claiming that Bill Clinton's decision is a vote of no confidence in the agreement.
The decision by Bill Clinton not to attend any celebrations on the Belfast Agreement is a vote of no confidence in the failed Belfast Agreement.
If the agreement was the pinnacle of his foreign policy success — as stated by some overblown commentators — Bill Clinton would already be here basking in the collective glow and indeed his wife would be with him, benefiting from the political advantage offered during a presidential campaign that appears to be feeling the pinch.
His decision to put other domestic matters first shows two things — firstly that the presidential campaign by his wife requires his support and priority at home, not abroad, and secondly that he recognises that the agreement was not the final solution, but was in fact flawed and required the major changes negotiated by the DUP at St Andrews some years later.
I think Ian Paisley, Junior is likely just trying to make political hay out of this turn of events, but I still wonder why Clinton withdrew, as he would probably be aware of the spin the Unionists would put on his absence.
Since Bill agreed to attend in late February and the event would probably only take him two days and he will still be back at least a week before the PA primary, why did he back down?
The New York Times says:
Brokering the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland was one of President Bill Clinton’s proudest foreign policy achievements. But Mr. Clinton has withdrawn from a 10th anniversary commemoration to be held in Belfast next month, adding a new element of intrigue to the controversy over exactly what role his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, played in that peace process.
Both Mr. Clinton’s office and organizers of the event say his decision not to attend is unrelated to the tension between Mrs. Clinton, of New York, and her opponent for the Democratic nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, over her experience in foreign policy matters. Aides said the former president withdrew because of a scheduling conflict.
The Belfast Telegraph doesn't beat around the bush:
Mrs Clinton's campaign has recently been mired in questions about whether she exaggerated her own role in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Mr Clinton's visit to Belfast ran the risk of returning the spotlight to his wife's role just before the crucial primary contest.
The group organising the conference is the US-Ireland Alliance. The president of the US-Ireland Alliance is Trina Vargo. While working as a foreign policy advisor for Senator Edward Kennedy, Ms Vargo worked closely with the Clinton administration on the Northern Ireland peace process. However, like Senator Kennedy she has endorsed Barack Obama's Presidential bid, donating to his campaign.