SDLP attacks White House 'carve-up'
Not inviting the SDLP or Ulster Unionists to the White House is a 'two-party carve-up' says Mragret Ritchie
Wednesday March 17 2010
The decision not to invite the SDLP and Ulster Unionists to a St Patrick's Day meeting with US president Barack Obama is another sign of divided government, Margaret Ritchie has said.
The SDLP leader branded the visit of DUP First Minister Peter Robinson and Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to the White House as a carve-up.
But Mr Robinson said it was up to President Obama to choose who he wanted to invite.
Ms Ritchie said: "It raises serious questions for me about the operation of a four-party executive. We are seeing the continuation of a two-party carve-up.
"There is a fundamental point and it is important that we demonstrate we have a four-party executive. It is about a shared society because St Patrick is a unifying figure."
She was among dozens of Northern Ireland guests at a St Patrick's Day breakfast at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC attended by business leaders with an interest in Irish affairs.
The meeting between the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and President Obama will discuss political progress in Northern Ireland, but Ms Ritchie and UUP leader Sir Reg Empey say they were not invited.
Mr Robinson said: "We meet the president by his invitation. We could not hope to demand a meeting with the leader of the free world."
He said he had met the president before and he had been supportive.
"Northern Ireland punches well beyond its weight in the access it has in the US," he added. "It's good to see the commitment the administration has to Northern Ireland."
