Villiers In US To Give Update On Fresh Start Agreement

The Secretary of State Theresa Villiers is to update members of the US Administration and senior figures within the Irish American community on the Fresh Start Agreement reached in November 2015.

During the two day programme in New York and Washington she will also highlight the significant progress made since November in putting the Northern Ireland institutions on a more stable and sustainable footing, and towards building a brighter, more secure future for Northern Ireland.

Ms Villiers said: "Both the Stormont House Agreement and Fresh Start Agreement are significant achievements yet despite good progress on implementation, challenges remain, ‎not least finding a way to address the legacy of Northern Ireland's past.

"The Government remains fully committed to establishing the new bodies to deal with the past set out in the Stormont House Agreement and I am currently engaged in discussions with the political parties and victims’ groups to overcome the remaining obstacles."

(CD/LM)