[ad_1]
Boris Johnson will face pressure from Joe Biden on Thursday to work with the European Union to end the fierce stalemate over a settlement in Northern Ireland, as the post-Brexit negotiations ended in stalemate and threats.
Jack Sullivan, his national security adviser, said that the American leader met with his British counterparts in Cornwall before the G7 summit and he would not welcome any steps that endanger or undermine the Good Friday agreement or peace in the region.
Johnson will also face pressure from European leaders at the summit, because the European Union has once again threatened that if the United Kingdom unilaterally suspends some trade sanctions, it will retaliate through trade sanctions. The so-called Northern Ireland Agreement, Designed to avoid hard borders on the island of Ireland.
The Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic stated that he is convinced that “European leaders will raise this issue at the G7 meeting starting on Friday.” French President Emmanuel Macron (Emmanuel Macron) is one of those who wants the EU to take a hard line against Johnson.
Considering the danger of diplomacy, Johnson will take his Brexit minister, Lord David Frost, to Cabis Bay for the G7 summit. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was the only British minister to attend the meeting.
Sullivan spoke on Air Force One when Biden flew to the UK and said that the president was very aware of his firm belief that the Good Friday agreement was the basis for peaceful coexistence in Northern Ireland. “The agreement needs to be protected, and any steps that endanger or undermine it will not be welcomed by the United States,” he said. The 1998 agreement ended decades of violent conflict in the region.
“President Biden will issue a statement of principle in this regard,” Sullivan said. “He did not issue threats or ultimatums. He will simply convey his deep-rooted belief that we need to support and protect the agreement.”
The Times reported that Washington sent a “démarche” (official diplomatic communication between one government and another) to London on June 3 to express concern that the British position is “increasing” tensions in Ireland and Europe. .
A senior government official told the Financial Times that the United States expressed its concerns about Northern Ireland to the United Kingdom through private messages before the summit. However, the official stated that the discussion was not directed by the president and “not strengthened.”
Frost and Sefcovic failed to resolve the dispute over the operation of the protocol, which actually introduced trade borders in the Irish Sea. During the London talks on Wednesday. “There were no breakthroughs, and no malfunctions,” Frost said.
Johnson claimed that the EU’s requirements for inspections of goods transported between the UK and Northern Ireland are too onerous and are disrupting trade.
Lord David Frost (right), the Secretary of State for Brexit, meets with European Commission Vice-President Maros Sevkovic (left) at the Admiralty Building in London, © PA
In a speech in Cornwall before the summit, Johnson stated that he was seeking a compromise solution to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland, and insisted that he “does not worry” about the issue that casts a shadow on the G7.
After meeting in London, the EU and the UK confirmed that there are differences on how to resolve numerous issues in Northern Ireland’s trade arrangements, from veterinary inspections to pet travel.
After the meeting, Sevcovic Say The EU’s patience with the UK’s failure to implement the basic parts of the agreement was “very, very weak.
Brussels has filed a lawsuit against the United Kingdom, demanding a unilateral extension of some grace periods under the agreement-to be separated from normal border inspections.
Sevkovic said that if the United Kingdom fails to fulfill its obligations, the EU may take “cross-retaliation measures” against the United Kingdom, such as imposing tariffs on certain goods or suspending cooperation in certain areas.
“If the UK takes further unilateral actions in the coming weeks, the EU will respond quickly, firmly and resolutely without hesitation to ensure that the UK complies with its obligations under international law,” Sevkovic said.
After the meeting, Frost reiterated Britain’s complaint that “the EU insists that we operate the agreement in an extremely pure manner”.
The lack of a breakthrough means that pressure on both sides will increase before the temporary exemption that allows British sausages and other frozen meats to enter Northern Ireland expires at the end of this month.
The meeting also covered other bilateral issues such as fisheries and civil rights, after which the UK published Its own collapse The state of the discussion stated that in certain “limited areas,” “some progress has been made in solutions”, including the free movement of guide dogs and the value-added tax arrangement for second-hand cars.
Additional reporting by Jim Pickard and James Politi
[ad_2]
Source link
