President Biden welcome, but peace deal is in tatters and there's not much to celebrate: Sammy Wilson

Following the US President’s confirmation that he intends to visit both NI and the Republic of Ireland around the time of the 25th anniversary next month, the DUP MP said it remained unclear how Mr Biden could address the NI Assembly if it’s not sitting at present.

“If the Assembly’s not sitting, it’s not sitting. So what’s he going to address?” Mr Wilson asked the presenter on RTE’s Morning Ireland programme.

Asked if he would welcome the president, Mr Wilson said anyone visiting Northern Ireland would be given a welcome.

“But if he is coming to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, he has got to realise it is in tatters,” he said.

Mr Wilson also said the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement has been destroyed by the European Union and the UK Government.

“The assurances which unionists had in relation to their status in the United Kingdom not being changed have been removed,” he said.

Mr Wilson said that some of the safeguards around the application of EU laws in Northern Ireland have also been removed.

“If he’s coming, I don’t think he has a great deal to celebrate,” the MP said.

Commenting on his party’s current position on the Windsor Framework deal – which is aimed at resolving the difficulties around the NI Protocol – Mr Wilson said that while the deal was not being rejected outright at the minute, it did not meet the party’s seven tests for restoring the power-sharing executive.

Speaking on the same programme, Ireland’s deputy premier Micheal Martin has said he is looking forward to Joe Biden “coming home” on his forthcoming visit to Ireland.

Speaking from New York, Mr Martin said the context of the timing around the anniversary is “apt”.

Asked if the Irish Government was aware that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was making the announcement that Mr Biden would visit Northern Ireland, he said there were “indications for some time” about the possibility of a visit.

“The important issue is that he is coming,” he said.

Mr Martin said the US pushed strongly for a negotiated resolution to issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He said Mr Biden had a “strong commitment to the Good Friday Agreement”.

“It seems to me this is good news all round,” he said.

Asked if it was appropriate for Mr Biden to address Stormont while it was not sitting, Mr Martin said he wanted to see the restoration of the Assembly and the Executive.

He said his opinion was that the legitimate issues that were raised in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol were comprehensively dealt with by the Windsor Framework.