London: Thanasis Gavos
Boris Johnson begins a week-long visit to Belfast today, during which issues on the agenda are expected to dominate his agenda. North Ireland.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will have meetings with local political leaders and will try to persuade the Democratic Union Party (DUP) to join the government set out in Friday’s peace agreement with Sinn Féin. The nationalist party that was once the political wing of the Irish Democratic Army has emerged for the first time as Northern Ireland’s largest party in the recent election for the new Stormont local parliament.
The DUP’s refusal to consent to the formation of a new local government stems from its strong objections to the Northern Ireland Protocol accompanying the Brexit agreement.
The protocol provides for controls on products moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, so that there is no need for a “hard border” between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
According to the DUP, these controls are unsustainable and undermine Northern Ireland’s position in the United Kingdom.
Boris Johnson agrees with this position, who may even today be expected to give the green light for the submission to the House of Commons of a bill that will provide for the unilateral abolition of the protocol. It would be a move that, as European officials have warned, would likely spark a “trade war” between Brussels and London.
In an article in the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Johnson insists that if the EU does not soften its stance on accepting significant changes to the protocol, then there will be a “need to act” for his government. He adds that he will present the next steps of the British government in Parliament “in the coming days”.
However, in the same article, the British leader speaks of a possible “landing zone”, ie an agreement with the EU. “Our common goal should be to create the widest possible inter-community support for a revised protocol in 2024”, writes Mr. Johnson. 2024 is defined by Brexit agreement as the date on which the validity of the protocol should be renewed by “consensus vote”.
As for the political stalemate in Northern Ireland, Boris Johnson hopes that his determination to make changes to the Brexit protocol will persuade the DUP to allow the formation of a local government.
However, Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle O’Neill, who will be the Prime Minister of the new Northern Ireland government if it is formed, said she would make it clear to Boris Johnson her opposition to the protocol.
“I will tell him that unilateral action deepens political instability and economic uncertainty and should not be done,” Ms O’Neill said.
Dublin’s strong disagreements over the apparent unilateral cancellation of the Northern Ireland Protocol were also voiced by Irish Foreign Minister Simon Cowney. As he commented, the abandonment of an international agreement by London “would make headlines around the world that Britain is willing to violate international law”.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
