On the second day of his Northern Ireland mission, President Clinton met with mostly positive praise and adoration from gathered crowds.

A not so pleasant confrontation came Wednesday from Protestants in Belfast who oppose the two-year-old Good Friday peace agreement. They told him that in the search for peace, the U.S. unfairly favored the IRA's Roman Catholic minority.

Clinton also met with several leaders about the future of the peace process. He spoke with David Trimble, Protestant first minister, Seamus Mallon, the government's senior Roman Catholic, and Gerry Adams of the Sinn Fein Party. He also met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The main purpose of Clinton's visit was to assure continued dialogue among the divided parties. Britain, Ireland and the United States agreed to step up their fight against terrorism that might threaten Northern Ireland's peace.

During his visit to the capital, Dublin, Clinton stressed that the peace process in Northern Ireland must continue.

The president will visit London to meet with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace before he returns to Washington Thursday.

-- Posted December 13, 2000