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DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Events take place in Derry today to mark the 40^th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. While much has changed of course in the past four decades, two recent bomb attacks in the city have demonstrated a concerted terrorist threat remains. Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, joins me now from Derry, a very good morning to you Deputy First Minister. With this commemoration of Bloody Sunday in mind, are you disappointed that it seems for some Republicans the message doesn’t seem to have got through that the peace process is active and achieving things?

MARTIN McGUINNESS: Yes, I think it is disappointing that a very tiny number of people believe that the use of violence and conflict represents the best way forward when quite clearly the vast overwhelming majority of the people of Ireland, including the vast overwhelming majority of the people of the North, whether they be Unionist, Loyalist, Nationalist or Republican, Catholic, Protestant or dissenter, clearly want to move forward in unity to build a better future for themselves and for their children but I think we need to put all of this in perspective. There has been an enormous transformation. Politicians are working in a very united way and have sent a very powerful message to those who think that violence represents the best way forward, that they will not achieve any of their objectives whatsoever. All it will bring is more misery on the targets of their actions and indeed themselves and their families.

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Is the symbolism important as you send there in front of Free Derry Corner, the symbolism – and I know you have been in the Royal Palace recently, you took the First Minister to a Gaelic Football match, you have even indicated that in certain circumstances you would be prepared to meet members of the Royal Family including the Queen.

MARTIN McGUINNESS: I think all these things represent the recognition by all of us that we need to move forward in a very inclusive way, that we all understand that we come from different backgrounds with different allegiances but at the same time we live in this place, we have to live together and we want to live in peace and the agreements that we have made, whether it be the Good Friday Agreement or the St Andrew’s Agreement or indeed the Hillsborough Agreement, clearly sends a signal to everyone that politicians here, particularly those in positions of leadership, want to work together and I think all of these gestures clearly show that we’re moving forward in a very progressive way.

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, of course recently in the British Irish Council, does what he’s doing to further the cause of an independence referendum make you in Sinn Fein think shouldn’t we be getting on with our aspiration to hold a referendum on unification with the Republic?

MARTIN McGUINNESS: Well I am clearly a non-apologetic Irish Republican who wants to work peacefully and democratically to bring about the unification of Ireland but as Sinn Fein’s chief negotiator in the important negotiations of Good Friday and St Andrew’s, I have committed myself to a plan which takes us forward in a way that ends violence in our country and amongst our people so I think what I have to do is pursue those agreements until such times as a referendum is held in relation to the north. In relation to Scotland, as far as I’m concerned that’s a matter for the people of Scotland, they have to decide their own future. The Good Friday Agreement makes it absolutely clear that if the majority of people in the north decide to vote to end the link with Britain at some stage in the future, that the British government under the terms of an international treaty, will legislate to bring about Irish reunification.

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Have you got a date in mind? With Scotland and Alex Salmond, he’s told us 2014, when would you like to see a referendum on a United Ireland?

MARTIN McGUINNESS: Well I have always said that for example the Democratic Unionist party and Sinn Fein came together for the first time five years ago, we’ve been through the first uninterrupted session of the institutions under our leadership and that I think has been a huge success given that previously to that there were many Unionists who didn’t want the Good Friday Agreement and wanted to see it destroyed but I have described that first term as the awkward term, a getting to know you term and I think since the last Assembly elections last year, the situation has been liberated and we have shown that we can together take difficult decisions so I want to work through this term of the Assembly in a very positive way with my Unionist colleagues and at some stage then after that, we can have a discussion about when a referendum should be held.

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: So a third term?

MARTIN McGUINNESS: Pardon?

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: A third term, you’ve had the difficult term, you’re in this term but your aspiration to hold a referendum on a united Ireland would be the elections after next?

MARTIN McGUINNESS: Well I think that obviously would have to be a matter for discussion among all of the political parties and of course ultimately the decision on the referendum rests with the British government so I think that given that we have been through the first term of the Assembly and that we are now dealing with vitally important issues affecting our people, not least the very difficult economic circumstances that have been imposed upon us as a result of a world economic crisis and of course huge cuts that have been imposed on us from the coalition government in London, I think what we have to do is get through this term of the Assembly in a way that deals with those very, very important challenges and then whenever the time is right, have the discussion on when the referendum should be held. So it all needs to be done very peacefully and in a very democratic way.

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Given your experience, your vast experience in this peace process, is it true that you’ve offered to mediate between David Cameron and Alex Salmond should they get together?

MARTIN McGUINNESS: Well that was a joke of mine at the time of the last meeting of the British Irish Ministerial Council. I said that given that myself and Peter Robinson and Ian Paisley and successive British Prime Minister’s and Taoiseach have been in various capitals all around the place to bring us to the very good position that we are today with relation to the north of Ireland and I said in a jocular fashion that Peter Robinson and I had access to a castle, Stormont Castle and that we would be prepared to make it available but somehow I don’t think they will avail of that offer.

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Okay, Mr McGuinness, thank you very much indeed, Martin McGuinness there, Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland.