Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
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» Senator says Protocol easier fix than Troubles » DUP leader claims US visit has been ‘terrible’
RICHARD Neal is “optimistic” the EU and UK can find an agreed resolution to issues created by the contentious Irish Sea trading arrangements.
He was in Derry yesterday with a US Congressional delegation which has also held meetings in London and Brussels during its Protocol fact-finding mission.
Mr Neal said: “The Protocol issue when you compare it to the issues that the two communities here faced 25 years ago before the Good Friday Agreement is significantly disproportionate.
“The people here took up much more severe challenges. We believe that based on the conversations that we had in Brussels and London, that this is an issue for the European Union, and for the UK Government to sift and sort.”
Unionist politicians reacted angrily to remarks by Mr Neal in Dublin on Tuesday when he claimed the protocol dispute was a “manufactured issue”.
Unionists claim the Protocol requirement for checks on goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland has undermined the region’s place within the United Kingdom.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: “This has been a terrible congressional visit.
“Since Mr Neal set foot on these shores, he has once again demonstrated a one-sided approach to Northern Ireland and exposed either an incredible lack of understanding or a dangerous willingness to misrepresent reality.
“We have written to the entire Ways and Means Committee outlining how there is nothing ‘manufactured’ about the Protocol problems. This was an outrageous comment for such a senior US politician to make.”
The delegation is due to meet Stormont’s political leaders today.
Asked what he would say during his meeting with Sir Jeffrey, Mr Neal said: “I have known him for a long period of time, I don’t want to trespass. I have had a good relationship with him over the years.”
The congressman was also asked about the negative reaction from some unionists to his use of the word “Planter” when describing their heritage and ancestry during a speech on Dublin.
Mr Neal said he was using a historic reference in relation to the establishment of the plantation in Ulster in the 17th Century.
He continued: “That was the point that I made.
“I also referenced the historical term of the Gael, the Gael and the Planter, because those are entirely
This was an outrageous comment for such a senior US politician to make SIR JEFFREY DONALDSON SPEAKING YESTERDAY
accurate historic references.” Mr Neal also paid tribute to the “risk takers” who helped forge the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
He said: “I always want to use the time to congratulate the people here for what they’ve done.
“This is a template for the world to witness and we should be taking great pride and satisfaction in what was achieved.”
During yesterday’s visit, Mr Neal referred to the city as both Derry and Londonderry and the congressional delegation walked across Derry’s Peace Bridge. They also had a tour of the city’s historic walls and visited a mural dedicated to th TV show Derry Girls. Mr Neal revealed that he had watched some of the Channel 4 show, describing it as “extraordinary”.
He said the show demonstrated that politics and political campaigns were about the future.
Meanwhile, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told the Dail yesterday it is “deeply disappointing” that the Westminster Government plans to move forward with legislation to unilaterally override parts of the protocol. Last week, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced an intention to table legislation that would override parts of the protocol without the approval of the EU.
Mr Coveney said: “The British Government now claim that implementing the protocol, that we agreed together, is incompatible with the Good Friday Agreement.
“This is disingenuous and it’s dangerous. I find it deeply disappointing that the British Government has said it intends to table legislation in the coming weeks that will unilaterally disapply elements of the protocol, which is now international law.
“This action is contrary to the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, where genuine trust and partnership between both governments have time and time again proved crucial to share progress.
“As the protocol is an integral part of an international agreement, such action would amount to a serious violation of international law also.”