The American President, Joe Biden, lands, this Tuesday, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, regarding the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the peace agreement, the Good Friday Agreement. The pact concluded between London, Dublin and Washington put an end to decades of violence between Unionists and Republicans in the region. In total, more than 3,500 people lost their lives.
For Antonio Soaresdirector of the Think Thank Center for Cross Border Studies in Northern Ireland, this visit by the US head of state is “extremely important” because it gives due relevance to this historic moment, which is the peace agreement signed in 1998.
RFI: In your opinion, what is the importance of this visit?
Antonio Soares: This visit is extremely important because it gives due importance to this moment, therefore, 25 years after we reached that peace agreement, which is very important for Northern Ireland, but not only for Northern Ireland, also for Northern Ireland and the its relations with the neighboring Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland’s position with part of the United Kingdom and of course this peace agreement put an end to three decades of violence, which resulted in the deaths of over 3,500 people and many, many dozens of thousands of wounded. Virtually every family here in Northern Ireland has suffered during this violence, so the arrival of President Joe Biden here gives due meaning to this historic moment, in this peace process, which did not end in 1998. We are only halfway through that process. of peace, which will last, according to many people, at least 50 years.
RFI: Professor António Soares lives in Belfast, where Joe Biden arrives this Tuesday. Do you notice that the police device was reinforced in the streets? How can you describe the atmosphere in Belfast, shortly before the arrival of the American President?
Antonio Soares: This is not the first visit by a President of the United States of America to Northern Ireland. We are already used to security devices. It is, of course, President Biden’s first visit here to Belfast. Streets in the city center were closed yesterday. They are still closed today and will remain closed until the end of the afternoon tomorrow, so we have already noticed the police presence, from the police forces here in Northern Ireland, which were reinforced by the presence of police forces, coming from England and Scotland.
RFI: And do the inhabitants wait with anticipation and euphoria for this visit? Have you spoken to any people who live there? What’s the feeling? What do you say?
Antonio Soares: The feeling of many people who live here in Belfast, but also of all of Northern Ireland… They consider this to be an important moment, very important, although everyone recognizes that President Biden arrives here in Northern Ireland at a moment where Northern Ireland remains without a government. So his visit would have had another more positive aspect if, in fact, Northern Ireland had a functioning government, which it currently does not have.
RFI: You spoke of an important point. Northern Ireland has been without an executive for over a year as the Unionist party refuses to form a government in protest over post-Brexit trade deals and the return of a physical border with Britain. In what sense will the plan presented by the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, help, in some way, to resolve this impasse?
Antonio Soares: It’s a pretty tough standoff. The plan put forward by the British Prime Minister, the plan that the British Government has come up with with the European Union in recent months, resolves many of the issues that would have arisen in terms of the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. . It resolved many of these difficulties, but the Democratic Unionist Party, the DUP, continues to refuse to form an executive. From my perspective, that party has positioned itself in a dead end and we have to find a way to facilitate the party’s exit from that dead end, where it will have positioned itself. It will be difficult, but perhaps with the arrival of President Joe Biden, this will have another impetus, finding a way for the Democratic Unionist Party to get out of the dead end where it will have positioned itself.
RFI: And the tension between Unionists and Republicans has been intensifying in recent months because of exactly these post-Brexit issues. Do you consider that this political stalemate puts the peace process at risk? How do you currently rate relations between the British province of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland?
Antonio Soares: In terms of those North-South relations, between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, I think those relations will have improved in recent months. We now have a new Prime Minister in the Republic of Ireland. He will have been trying to improve relations between the Irish government and some parties here in Northern Ireland, parties on the Unionist side. Those relationships have been improving lately, and in terms of getting to a point where we can form an executive here in Northern Ireland, I think that moment will come, maybe not this month, not next month, but maybe by September. , we will have reached a point where that party, the Democratic Unionist Party will have found the way to position itself to form a new executive here in Northern Ireland.
RFI: Therefore, do you consider that the tension between Unionists and Republicans will not jeopardize the peace process in force?
Antonio Soares: No, but the main reason is because all the other parties are past that moment and the majority of the population values the peace process and doesn’t want to jeopardize the peace process and therefore this party is in a very isolated position. It is practically the only party that takes this position. The rest of the population, the rest of the parties are at another point in their journey and don’t want to jeopardize the peace process. They won’t let that happen.
RFI: Speaking of the peace process, Authorities have decided to raise the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland to “serious”, following the attempted murder of a police officer last February, carried out by members of a splinter republican group. Do you consider that there is a real danger of further terrorist attacks and a return to violence in Northern Ireland?
Antonio Soares: I think it’s important that we don’t exaggerate the significance of some elements that exist. We cannot deny that they do not exist. There are elements within the Republican movement, the dissidents, which are elements that have never embraced the peace process. They were always outside the peace process. And there are also elements on the other side, the Unionist side, who also resisted the peace process, are out. In terms of numbers, they are very insignificant. Yes, of course, they are dangerous because they have this ability to, from time to time, achieve attacks against police elements, attacks against the other community as well, but we cannot overstate their importance. I do not believe that these minuscule forces jeopardize the peace process.
RFI: Do you believe that Brexit continues to be a thorn in the side between Dublin, Belfast and London?
Antonio Soares: Yes, it continues without a doubt. It continues to be an obstacle, but I have to say that, since the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, took power, relations have improved and proof of this is the agreement sealed between the British government and the European Union. It continues to be a thorn in the side, but I believe that with patience and with the continuation of positive relations between London and Brussels, we will be able to overcome these obstacles that we are now experiencing.
RFI: One month away from the coronation of King Charles III, what consequences could this political instability bring to such an important moment for the United Kingdom?
Antonio Soares: I don’t think it will present significant problems. Of course, that moment, another historic moment, would have an even more positive aspect if the situation here in Northern Ireland were not the one we are now living in, a moment when we have no government here in Northern Ireland, but I don’t think that this presents significant difficulties to the coronation of King Charles III.