Any US-UK trade deal ‘must not undermine’ North peace
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that he will ask US president Donald Trump not to agree a new free trade deal with the UK if it undermines peace on the island of Ireland.
He also said he favours the appointment of a new US peace envoy for Ireland and that he will raise the importance of the Good Friday Agreement when he meets Mr Trump today. Mr Varadkar also confirmed that his partner Matt Barrett would attend the traditional breakfast in the residence of vice-president Mike Pence in Washington DC, as part of this week’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Mr Varadkar and Mr Trump will meet in the White House today and both are expected to discuss Brexit, trade, and visas for Irish citizens, among other issues. Asked if he favoured the appointment of a new US peace envoy for Ireland, the Taoiseach said: “Certainly if the president is open to wanting a special envoy to Northern Ireland, that would be very welcome.
We know historically that when the United States has taken an interest in the affairs of Northern Ireland it has helped bring peace to conclusion so that will certainly be welcome.” While not wanting the US to take sides over Brexit, Mr Varadkar said he wanted authorities in Washington not to pursue any new trade deal with London if it undermined the North’s peace process.
“We know they will want to negotiate a free trade agreement with the UK into the future and we also want to negotiate a free trade agreement between the US and the EU and would like to do that before there is any agreement with the UK, but we will be saying to them, of course, that the Good Friday Agreement has to be paramount, that the peace process has to be paramount,” said Mr Varadkar.
“The US was so involved in making the Good Friday Agreement possible, in helping to bring about peace in Northern Ireland, and we’ll be saying to them, of course, that we would ask that no trade deal that is done with the UK should ever undermine the peace process.”
More than 20 US congressmen wrote to British prime minister Theresa May in recent days warning that a US-UK free trade deal could be delayed “indefinitely” and to avoid imposing a new border in Ireland at all costs. Mr Varadkar revealed that Mr Barrett would join him at a breakfast meeting with Mr Pence this morning.
The Taoiseach said he intended to raise gay rights issues with Mr Pence at last year’s breakfast. Mr Pence afterwards invited him to return to his Washington residence with Mr Barrett. Mr Pence has described himself as a “Christian, a conservative, and a Republican” and has been criticised for his views on LGBT rights. Mr Varadkar yesterday said: “[Matt] was able to get the time off work and make the journey so he will be taking up the invitation from Mike and Karen Pence to attend tomorrow.”
