Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has expressed his “deep regret at the death of former UUP leader and First Minister David Trimble”.

Mr. Adams extended his “sincere condolences to David’s wife Daphne, their daughters Victoria and Sarah, their sons Richard and Nicholas and to the entire family circle, including his former colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party.

Gerry Adams said:

“David faced huge challenges when he led the Ulster Unionist Party in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations and persuaded his party to sign on for it. It is to his credit that he supported that Agreement. I thank him for that.

“In the years immediately following the Agreement I met David many times. Our conversations were not always easy but we made progress. We used to meet quite often on our own and I got to know him quite well. While we held fundamentally different political opinions on the way forward nonetheless I believe he was committed to making the peace process work.

“David’s contribution to the Good Friday Agreement and to the quarter century of relative peace that followed cannot be underestimated. I want to extend my sincerest condolences to Daphne Trimble, their daughters Victoria and Sarah, their sons Richard and Nicholas and to the entire family circle. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis”.