Plaque installed at Joe Biden's ancestral home in Ballina. The President will visit the Republic after a stopover in Northern Ireland. Photo: AFP
Joe Biden is due to meet with the leaders of all five of Northern Ireland's major political parties during a visit to the UK starting Tuesday as part of a personal drive to regain power. provincial sharing.
The Telegraph understands that the President of the United States organized the joint meeting in a bold attempt to help break the stalemate that has left Stormont without a functioning government for over a year.
Political violence threatened to overshadow Biden's arrival. when dissident Republicans in Londonderry blew up a police van on Monday.
A White House spokesman thanked local security services for their work, saying the US president was «more than comfortable.» make the trip despite the violence.
Biden will arrive in Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening, where he will be met by Rishi Sunak. The pair will hold talks on Wednesday before Mr. Biden makes a speech.
The US President will then travel to Ireland, where he has family ties, to participate in other events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the progress of the world.
Joe Biden pictured on St. Patrick's Day. The president is proud of his Irish roots. Photo: AFP
News of his plans broke when he gave a clear indication that he would run for re-election in November 2024, saying at the annual White House Easter Skate: «I plan to run … but we're not ready yet.» announce it.»
During the trip, Mr. Biden is expected to meet with the leaders of five Northern Irish parties: the Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party, the Social Democratic and Labor Party and the Alliance Party.
The meeting was still scheduled for Monday evening, and the exact names of the participants were unclear, although the leaders of each party were invited.
Mr. Biden has previously pushed Mr. Sunak and his predecessors for a new Brexit deal that could pave the way for a return to power-sharing.
Discussions will take place before Mr. Biden delivers a speech in Ulster University Belfast, which is expected to praise the Good Friday Agreement and discuss how best to keep the peace today.
Good Friday Agreement
The Stormont, also known as the Northern Ireland Assembly, was created under the Good Friday Agreement and is to be carried out through power-sharing between the Nationalist and Unionist parties.
However, the DUP withdrew after abandoning power-sharing last February and supported the boycott following the Stormont elections last May, in which Sinn Féin won a majority of the seats — the first time this has been achieved by a nationalist party.
Mr Sunak hoped his Brexit deal, which changes the provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol, would be enough to persuade the DUP to return to power-sharing. It is known that he wanted to conclude the deal before the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, so it was concluded before the expected visit of Biden.
But the DUP refused to approve the so-called Windsor Agreement. Framework, with its MPs initially voting against the deal in the House of Commons as it reviews the details.
It is understood that Mr Biden will «encourage» all parties to contribute to the return of Stormont's executive power. Mr. Sunak called for a «compromise» in his speech before the visit.
A White House press secretary said Monday that Mr. Biden will celebrate «tremendous progress» since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and stress the need to «keep those gains» during the trip.
Richard Neal, a senior congressman US Democrats, told the BBC that some are «gently nudging» and "nudging" will be done to convince DUP to return to Stormont after a new Brexit deal.
Police officers were attacked on Monday by masked youths in Londonderry during an illegal parade linked to Saorad, the political wing of the New IRA.
About 20 firebombs were thrown at an armored police Land Rover during an unauthorized parade in dissident stronghold at Creggan Manor.
A Northern Ireland Police Service spokesman said: “There are no reports of injuries at this time. We call for calm.» The message was echoed by Northern Ireland's political leaders.
MI5 last month upgraded the terrorist threat level for Northern Ireland from 'significant' to 'severe', meaning an attack is now 'highly likely'.
The province's largest police operation in a decade is underway: Easter parades followed by world leaders to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
During Biden's visit, he will only be in the UK for 24 hours. Downing Street insiders downplayed expectations ahead of talks with the prime minister, noting that the couple held political discussions in California last month. Mr Sunak is due to visit the US in June.
The two leaders are expected to hold talks to deepen economic ties between the UK and the US.
Joe Biden's diary
A White House press secretary said on Monday there were no «active discussions». between London and Washington on a free trade deal, confirming that any such deal has been frozen.
The spokesman also said Biden had an «amazing» conversation. a telephone conversation with King Charles last week in which he explained that Jill Biden, wife of the President of the United States, would attend the coronation in his stead.
Ahead of the visit, Gregory Campbell, MP for the DUP, urged Mr. on Biden to go beyond rhetoric about investing in the provinces and help bring about more tangible change.
Mr Campbell told the Telegraph: «Successive US presidents have expressed their desire to try to provide commercial and economic support, but quite often this has not led to action. They talked about it, but American firms in Northern Ireland did good business and were successful.
"So if there's a message for him, it's 39; it must be said that this is a good place to invest, but we need to try to see more action and not just promises and words.”
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