Clinton Heckled During Northern Ireland Speech

The former US president Bill Clinton has been heckled over Iraq during a speech in Northern Ireland.

Speaking about the ongoing peace process, Mr Clinton was interrupted as he spoke about how the world had been "good to some" in recent years but "rough to others and it's been rough on you the past few years".

A man from the crowd was heard to shout: "What about the Iraqis?"

As he continued his heckling, Mr Clinton responded with: "You wanna give this speech?"

The 67-year-old statesman added: "The Iraqi problem is that they don't have an inclusive government either and if they did, if they followed your lead, they would've been in better shape."

Mr Clinton was on a one-day visit that will culminate with him opening a new leadership institute at Queen's University in Belfast that has been named after him.

The steadfast supporter of the peace process in Northern Ireland was also due to meet with First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to discuss current challenges.

His visit comes after the political crisis triggered by the collapse of the trial of the Hyde Park bombing suspect John Downey last week.

Mr Robinson threatened to resign after it was disclosed in court that Mr Downey had wrongly been sent a letter by Northern Ireland police saying he would not be arrested, despite a Metropolitan Police arrest warrant for the attack.

It transpired that 187 letters had been sent to "on-the-run" Republican paramilitaries effectively giving them immunity from arrest and therefore prosecution.

Mr Robinson claimed he had been "kept in the dark" over a secret deal between Sinn Fein and the British Government which led to the letters being sent.

He withdrew his resignation threat when David Cameron agreed to his call for an independent review.

Mr Clinton began his day by crossing a symbolic peace bridge linking the divided communities in Londonderry accompanied by the former SDLP leader and Nobel Laureate John Hume.

Mr Hume, who has known the former president for 22 years, said: "Pat and I are delighted that Bill Clinton is here in Derry, a town and its people transformed by peace and which we are all so proud of."