Biden arrives in Northern Ireland to ensure peace is not broken

The United States acted as a mediator in the long and complicated negotiations that led to the signing Peace agreements for Good Friday. Twenty-five years later, it fully assumed the role of guarantor, not to say guardian of those pacts. This was clearly stated by its president on Tuesday, Joe Bidenensuring that keeping the peace in this British territory is their priority.

«I want to make sure that the Irish and Windsor treaties [entre la Unión Europea y el Reino Unido] remain in effect. Keep calm and that’s the most important thing. It looks like we’ll make it, fingers crossed,” said the American president when asked at the foot of the plane that was taking him to the Republic of Ireland, which is the main goal of this visit.

Biden, who is of Irish descent, has made clear his interest in the Northern Ireland issue since his days as vice president under Barack Obama. However, as soon as he arrived at the White House, he warned London that any Brexit The hard line, which threatened the accords that ended the violence between the Republican Catholic and Unionist Protestant communities, would not be welcomed by Washington. He even made any eventual free trade agreement between the US and the UK conditional on a complete break with the twenty-seven.

Although the occasion offered an opportunity for a grand celebration, the ceremony was spoiled political paralysis in Northern Ireland since February 2022, when the protesters of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) decided to overthrow the joint autonomous government. Since then, they refused to renew it, demanding that the protocol Brexit cancel or renegotiate completely for the region.

Differences over leaving the EU make the climate rare and cause acts of violence since 2021. This Monday, a group of young republicans clashed with security forces in the city of Derry, after agents tried to disperse a march they were carrying out without permission. Images of men throwing Molotov cocktails at police vehicles have returned.

The tension has reached such a level that MI5, the British secret service, fears that an attack will happen soon. To avoid all fear, The US Secret Service has been deployed to Belfast, and London has sent an additional 300 agents to that Northern Irish city., where Biden will give a speech at the University of Ulster this Wednesday and will meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Despite the fact that the majority of the presidential tour will take place in the neighboring republic, London will spend around 7 million pounds (7.9 million euros) on a security operation to protect visitors, the newspaper writes. Guard.

Biden will not only hold meetings with Irish President Michael Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and address parliament in Dublin, but will also visit Carlingford, the town near the Irish border where his great-great-great-grandfather was born.