Biden Heads To Belfast For N. Ireland Peace Anniversary

Belfast, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Apr, 2023 ) :US President Joe Biden will arrive in Belfast Tuesday to launch high-profile commemorations of the 25th anniversary of the deal that brought peace to Northern Ireland.

Biden will be welcomed on the tarmac by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is looking to break deadlock in the UK province, where political dysfunction and security concerns threaten to overshadow the historic milestone.

Underlining the threat, masked youths pelted police vehicles with petrol bombs on Monday during an illegal dissident republican march in Londonderry.

Biden is to "mark the tremendous progress" made since the signing of the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters ahead of his visit.

The visit will "underscore the readiness of the United States to support Northern Ireland's vast economic potential to the benefit of all communities", she added.

Sunak will use Biden's visit "to celebrate Northern Ireland's successes and encourage further long-term investment", according to his Downing Street office.

Biden, who has Irish ancestry, will then travel south on Wednesday to Ireland for a three-day visit, in part tracing his family history.

He will deliver an address to Ireland's parliament and "celebrate the deep, historic ties" the country shares with the United States, according to the White House.

The speech will be closely scrutinised for any signs of pressure on Sunak to end the current logjam, caused by the Conservative Party's loyalist allies.