US President Joe Biden has said he “very strongly supports” the Windsor Framework post-Brexit deal as he hosted the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White House.
President Biden used the opportunity of the annual St Patrick’s Day visit to express hope of a return to devolved government at Stormont, and the acceptance of the new deal by all parties.
“Taoiseach we both agree that the recently announced Windsor Framework is an important step,” he said.
“We had a long discussion with the Prime Minister of Great Britain about that a week ago in California. That’s going to preserve and strengthen the Good Friday Agreement.”
“In the past few weeks I’ve shared my support for the framework with the European Commission president as well, president Ursula von der Leyen and the prime minister says he’s going to continue to push,” the president said.
The president also spoke about the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, and said that “it’s incumbent on all of us to continue to foster that peace and continue to find common cause so that our work may continue to bear fruit for generations to come.”
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Mr Varadkar highlighted the potential he saw in the new Windsor Framework struck by the EU and UK.
“I believe there are now incredible opportunities for economic development in Northern Ireland, especially with the potential of the Windsor Framework recently agreed with the European Commission and the UK Government,” he said.
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Ireland correspondent
“Every American president is a little bit Irish on St Patrick’s Day…but some are more Irish than others.” Those words, spoken by Leo Varadkar, were greeted by raucous cheers in the White House, and a broad grin from Joe Biden, “unmistakably a son of Ireland”.
The Taoiseach was right. The second Irish Catholic US president, after JFK, there is little doubt that Joe Biden is the most overtly proud of his Irish heritage. The president’s grandfather told him that “the best drop of blood in you is Irish”, he said, and it certainly seems like he took that to heart.
For the travelling Irish journalists, it can be easy to take all this for granted every year – the access to the Oval Office, the Irish flags, songs, music, poetry, the green White House fountain… an outpouring of affection and warmth towards a tiny country on the fringes of Europe.
But this sort of guaranteed access to the most powerful office in the world is remarkable, and Ireland’s government and diplomats are well aware of the influence it confers. Mr Varadkar thanked the president today for America’s support on Brexit – “it really made a difference”, he said.
The proud Irish-American with roots in Counties Mayo and Louth spoke repeatedly of his support for the Windsor Framework, again subtly increasing the pressure on the DUP, whose leader Jeffrey Donaldson was present at the shamrock ceremony, to accept the deal.
But Biden failed to give more details about his upcoming trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, as many had expected. The dates are still unclear.
But for the Irish, this was another diplomatic success. We had the sight of the US president draping his arm around Mullingar heartthrob Niall Horan, lauding the Irish rugby team and hoping for their Grand Slam victory over England, and speaking in the most sentimental way about the aul sod.
Leo Varadkar will head for home assured once more that in this White House in particular, Irish interests are being very well protected.
“Our task now is to complete that mission to help the people of Northern Ireland to build a more peaceful and more prosperous future together.”
The Irish leader presented President Biden with the traditional bowl of shamrock, at a ceremony in the White House’s East Room, which was attended by the leaders of Northern Ireland’s five main parties, and saw a performance by One Direction star Niall Horan.
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The president also singled out his distant cousin, former Irish rugby player Rob Kearney, and said “we all know who we’re rooting for in the Grand Slam” – ahead of Ireland’s clash with England on Saturday.
Earlier, Mr Varadkar had a breakfast meeting with the vice-president Kamala Harris, who described the Windsor Framework as an “essential step” for peace and progress in Northern Ireland.
Today’s events were the culmination of the traditional visit by the Irish leader to the American capital in the days leading up to St Patrick’s Day.
