Summary:On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the “Northern Ireland Peace Agreement” (“Belfast Agreement”), US President Biden will visit Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK from the 11th to the 12th local time.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the “Northern Ireland Peace Agreement” (“Belfast Agreement”), US President Biden will visit Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK from the 11th to the 12th local time.
Before departure, Biden said that the priority of his trip was to “maintain peace” and end the protracted political deadlock caused by pro-British parties’ opposition to Britain’s post-Brexit trade rules. However, whether this trip can achieve the expected results has been questioned by many foreign media.
A short “coffee meeting” with the British Prime Minister
During the brief visit, Biden met with British Prime Minister Sunak, delivered a speech at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, supported the “Windsor Framework” agreement reached not long ago between the United Kingdom and the European Union, and urged the main parties in the Northern Ireland Parliament to Bring the power-sharing government back into operation as soon as possible.
On the evening of the 11th, Sunak greeted Biden at the airport in Belfast. On the 12th, the two held talks.
Sunak said after the talks that the UK-US relationship was “in a good shape”, describing the two countries as “very close partners”, and said the two had discussed the “incredible economic opportunity” in Northern Ireland.
The British media believes that during Biden’s visit this time, the communication time between the two was too short. There are also US officials who have ridiculed (drink) a meeting of “two lattes” rather than a “bilateral” meeting. However, Sunak noted that the two will have further meetings in May and June.
Biden’s speech at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland aimed to strongly support the “Windsor Framework” agreement. He said that the “Windsor Framework” agreement will lead to “dozens” of large American companies investing heavily in Northern Ireland.
In his speech, he said, “The ‘Windsor Framework’ addresses the realities of ‘Brexit’ and is an important step in ensuring that the hard-won peace, progress with the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement is maintained and consolidated…I believe The stability and predictability that this framework provides will encourage businesses to invest more, significantly, in Northern Ireland.”
In February 2023, the UK and the EU reached a “Windsor Framework” agreement. But Sunak’s Conservative Party has since split over the framework. The focus of the differences is the “Stormont brake mechanism” in the “Windsor Framework”, which stipulates that the Northern Ireland Parliament has the right to refuse the entry into force of new EU laws in the region.
Finally, the British Parliament passed the mechanism, and the “Windsor Framework” agreement was formally signed in March.
The Northern Ireland trade issue has always been one of the most controversial issues of the UK’s “Brexit”. Previously, the UK was very dissatisfied with the “Northern Ireland Protocol” reached in the “Brexit” negotiations, and the relationship between the UK and the EU continued to decline. The “Windsor Framework” will replace the previous “Northern Ireland Protocol”. The main content includes that the goods entering Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom will be divided into red and green channels and the “Stormont brake mechanism”.
Foreign media: Biden can hardly ease the deadlock on his own
Although Biden set “maintaining peace in Northern Ireland” and helping to ease its political paralysis as the main tasks of his visit, Agence France-Presse stated in a report that Biden “promotes the benefits of lasting peace and investment, but has already faced the challenges of Northern Ireland. Fierce criticism from pro-British hardliners”.
Since the 1960s, violent conflicts in Northern Ireland have continued. The focus is that some people advocate that Northern Ireland should separate from the United Kingdom and merge with Ireland. The 1998 Northern Ireland Peace Agreement largely ended 30 years of bloodshed in Northern Ireland. However, there is still some sporadic violence by small groups opposed to peace.
The power-sharing mechanism of the local self-government coalition government in Northern Ireland has so far failed to work, and Biden called for political compromise in Northern Ireland.
In his speech in Northern Ireland, Biden congratulated the 25th anniversary of the signing of the “Northern Ireland Peace Agreement” and emphasized that maintaining the peaceful situation in Northern Ireland brought about by the agreement is a common priority of both parties in the United States.
The British “Guardian” analyzed that Biden is unlikely to ease the deadlock on his own. The post-Brexit “hard border” in the UK has undermined trust and balance. The newly reached “Windsor Framework” can ease the situation to a certain extent, but rebuilding trust will be a slow process.
The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland directly poured cold water on Biden. Party leader Geoffrey Donaldson said the visit “would not change the political dynamic in Northern Ireland”, while MP Sammy Wilson from the party accused Biden of being “anti-British”.
Just before Biden’s visit, British and American security services blocked the streets of central Belfast to ensure safety. MI5 also raised the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland to “serious”, which means that when Biden visits, an attack is very likely.
Just the day before Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland, Reuters reported a demonstration against the “Northern Ireland Peace Agreement” held in the northern Irish border city of Londonderry. Police also found four suspected pipe bombs in a cemetery near the city.
Original title: Can Biden’s lightning visit to Northern Ireland break the political deadlock in the region?
