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((INTRO:))
[[President Joe Biden headed Tuesday to Belfast, where leaders will discuss a 1998 peace agreement that ended over a quarter-century of sectarian conflict in British-held Northern Ireland between pro-British Unionists and nationalists who wanted to unite with independent Ireland. That deal is now complicated by the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union. VOA’s Anita Powell examines what’s at stake.]]
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptSLUG: Biden Ireland
HEADLINE: Biden Heads to Ireland to Support, Celebrate Peace Deal
TEASER: For the president, who has Irish ancestry, keeping peace on the island is a personal and political priority
PUBLISHED AT: 4/11/23 at 9:33 p.m.
BYLINE: Anita Powell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: AP, AFP, ZOOM
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Holly Franko, Reifenrath, DJ (ok)
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:49
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: with web story ))
((INTRO:))
[[President Joe Biden headed Tuesday to Belfast, where leaders will discuss a 1998 peace agreement that ended over a quarter-century of sectarian conflict in British-held Northern Ireland between pro-British Unionists and nationalists who wanted to unite with independent Ireland. That deal is now complicated by the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union. VOA’s Anita Powell examines what’s at stake.]]
((NARRATION))
President Joe Biden often mentions his Irish roots. But this trip is no vacation, he says.
As he left for Belfast in Northern Ireland, Biden stressed the importance of a 1998 agreement that brought peace to the island after decades of sectarian strife between mostly Catholic nationalists, who wished to unite with neighboring Ireland, and mostly Protestant Unionists who wished to remain within the U.K.
((Reporter off camera: “What is your top priority on this trip, sir?”))
((U.S. President Joe Biden))
“Make sure the Irish Accords and the Windsor agreements stay in place. Keep the peace, that's the main thing.”
((NARRATION))
That is a big lift.
That peace has been tested by the U.K.’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union,
taking Northern Ireland with it, and leaving the rest of the island in the EU.
Analysts say there is bipartisan will in the U.S. to see the island succeed. They point to two ways the world’s wealthiest nation can encourage stability: with attention, and with money.
[[Radio: Donatienne Ruy ((REE)) researches Brexit and European issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies]]
((Donatienne Ruy, Center for Strategic and International Studies))((courtesy Zoom))
“There can be investments in the region, there can be special envoys that remain invested – and then I think there also needs to be effort put into trust building. After the Good Friday Agreement, we all kind of assumed the peace was done. Really, that was the moment to kick up the efforts in high gear.”
((NARRATION))
The situation has degenerated since the Brexit vote, and the Windsor Framework that Biden described has not won support from Northern Ireland’s pro-U.K. political party. They have boycotted the government for more than a year, threatening the delicate power-sharing agreement formed after the 1998 peace accord.
Ireland’s leader explained what’s at stake:
((Leo Varadkar, Irish Prime Minister))
"We want to see the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement restored so they can provide hope for a new generation. And we’d like to see the people of Northern Ireland benefit from the rich economic opportunities available to them."
((NARRATION))
But peace is a process, Ruy says. And so far, there has been progress.
((Donatienne Ruy, Center for Strategic and International Studies))((courtesy Zoom))
“The reason I'm still positive is we see the emergence and the increasing success of non-sectarian parties in the political sphere.// So, yes, we could be in a better place, but we really have made huge strides since 1998.”
((NARRATION))
And for Biden, this visit holds personal history. Like most American families, the Bidens came from another continent. This village was the start of their very American story.
[[Radio: Mark Duffy is a local politician in Ballina, Ireland]]
((Mark Duffy, Ballina Council Leader))
"The Irish left here, during oppression and famine, went to Scranton and worked in the coal mines and on the railways, really difficult jobs, but with pride and enthusiasm for a better life, and they were able to provide that for their people. And that has come full circle now with a son of Ballina, an ancestor of Ballina, becoming U.S. president and sitting in the Oval Office.”
((NARRATION))
On Friday, that son of Ballina will speak before residents of this small town. But his words will be heard around the world.
((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Washington D.C.
Embargo DateApril 11, 2023 17:28 EDT
Byline
Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English