Joe Biden hails Northern Ireland as ‘shrine of creativity’ in Belfast visit

By Niall Glynn & Jessica Lawrence

BBC News NI

Northern Ireland is a “shrine of creativity”, US President Joe Biden has said on a landmark visit to Belfast.

Earlier he met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before a briefly meeting local political party leaders.

He is on a four-day visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – a peace deal which helped end 30 years of violent conflict in NI.

He hailed the “tremendous progress” since it was signed in 1998.

“This place is transformed by peace, made technicolour by peace, made whole by peace,” he said.

“Let’s celebrate 25 extraordinary years by recommitting to renewal, repair, by making this exceptional peace a birth right of every child in Northern Ireland for all the days to come.”

Mr Biden was speaking at the new Ulster University campus in Belfast, his only official engagement in Northern Ireland.

He urged politicians to make a return to power-sharing at Stormont, but praised them for their efforts after the attempted murder of a senior police officer in February.

Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was shot several times by two gunmen in front of his son in the car park of a sports complex in Omagh, County Tyrone.

“Northern Ireland will not go back [to violence],” he added.

He said that economic opportunities for Northern Ireland were “just beginning” and praised local young people, describing them as being on the “cutting edge” of the future.

Before his address, US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy, spoke about American investment in the region, including cyber security.

“Some of the biggest companies in the world have set up shop here, and now entrepreneurs with dreams to outcompete them are following,” he said.

“I look forward to drawing on your energy and your ideas and to making sure that we bring prosperity to all corners of Northern Ireland.

“It’s a future to be proud of.”

Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government is not currently functioning.

It collapsed last year when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) – one of the biggest parties at Stormont – pulled out as part of a protest against post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.

Before meeting political leaders, the president was asked what he would say to Northern Ireland’s political parties.

Mr Biden answered: “I’m going to listen.”

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill, Alliance Party leader Naomi long, Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie and the Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Colum Eastwood took part in brief discussions on Wednesday morning.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Beattie said they discussed the progress made since the Good Friday Agreement and the economic opportunities for Northern Ireland.

President Biden managed to deliver a speech that hit all the right notes with the invited audience.

And he was swamped as he left the stage by people armed with their phones for a selfie.

His speech was very much pitched at reminding people what is at stake.

Peace, said Mr Biden, cannot be taken for granted.

He reminded those in the room about the risks taken 25 years ago by the architects of the Good Friday Agreement.

Democracy in Northern Ireland needs champions now to do the same, he added.

While he didn’t namecheck the DUP, it was pretty clear to whom he was directing those comments in terms of getting Stormont back up and running.

Mr Biden arrived in Belfast city centre at about 22:20 BST on Tuesday after making the journey from the airport in his presidential motorcade.

He was greeted by Mr Sunak as he stepped off Air Force One at Belfast International Airport and stayed overnight at a Belfast hotel.

A huge security operation is in place, with many city centre streets closed.

Bedford Street, York Street, Donegall Street, Frederick Street and Great Patrick Street are closed to traffic with restrictions on Dunbar Link.

There is a heavy police presence on the ground but the Police Service of Northern Ireland hopes roads will be reopened in time for the evening rush hour.

Meanwhile, BBC Radio Ulster’s The Nolan Show has been shown a document marked “PSNI and sensitive” which appears to give details of the security operation.

It lists and names police officers in charge of the area around Mr Biden’s hotel and was found lying on a street by a member of the public.

The PSNI said it was investigating a security breach and would put “appropriate actions in place”.

“We take the safety of visiting dignitaries, members of the public and our officers and staff extremely seriously,” it said.

Mr Biden’s trip to Belfast was the first leg of a four-day stay in Ireland, during which he will also discuss his Irish roots and meet Irish relatives. His sister Valerie and his son Hunter have joined him on the visit.

Ahead of the visit, Michelle O’Neill, vice-president of Sinn Féin, the largest party at Stormont, said the visit was a “special moment”.

“As we look back with pride at just how far we have all come, and all that has been achieved, we also look forward with hope, ambition, and opportunity for the next 25 years,” she added.

However, speaking on GB News on Tuesday evening, former DUP leader and first minister Arlene Foster described Mr Biden as “the most partisan president there has ever been when dealing with Northern Ireland” and accused him of hating the UK.

She said his visit to Belfast would not put any pressure on the DUP to restore the Northern Ireland Executive because he is regarded as “simply pro-republican and pro-nationalist”.

Former Irish ambassador to the US, Daniel Mulhall, said that while Mr Biden would have preferred to have spoken to politicians at a functioning Stormont assembly, his speech was “very carefully crafted to get across the message that essentially America is here to help”.

Mr Biden’s trip comes two weeks after MI5 said the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland had increased due to a rise in activity by dissident republicans.

During an illegal parade by dissident republicans in Londonderry on Monday, petrol bombs were thrown at a police vehicle but the violence was confined to one area and ended a short time later.

On Tuesday, police found four suspected pipe bombs inside the grounds of the City Cemetery in Derry. They believe they were to be used in a planned attack on officers after Monday’s parade.

The president’s spokesman said Mr Biden was “more than comfortable making this trip” in spite of the terrorism threat.

Declan Harvey and Tara Mills explore the text of the Good Friday Agreement – the deal which heralded the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

They look at what the agreement actually said and hear from some of the people who helped get the deal across the line.

Related Topics