British Prime Minister Liz Truss and US President Joe Biden spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York. Stephen Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS Reuters_Tickers
This content was published on 21. September 2022 – 20:10
(Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Liz Truss met in person for the first time on Wednesday and said they were committed to preserving the 1998 agreement that ended the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Biden and Truss met days after Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and sat down to speak backstage at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“We are both committed to preserving the Good Friday Agreement (Belfast Agreement) in Northern Ireland. I look forward to hearing what you have in mind and how we can co-operate,” Biden told Truss ahead of bilateral discussions.
Truss replied: “Of course, I look forward to discussing the Belfast Agreement and how we are going to ensure that it is maintained in the future.
Despite Truss’ assurances, both leaders will seek to avoid tensions over Northern Ireland.
As a member of the British Parliament, Truss introduced a bill to replace the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was part of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal agreement from the European Union, and which prioritized the protection of the Belfast Agreement to guarantee the party in the region. of British rule.
Biden has been urging the UK not to do anything to jeopardize Northern Ireland’s period of peace that has lasted more than a quarter of a century.
(Reporting by Steve Holland)
((Translation by Editora São Paulo, +55 11 5047-3075)) REUTERS FC PB
