President Joe Biden is hosting Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar at the White House
By Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent
President Biden has said he will make a visit to the island of Ireland “soon”.
He was hosting Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar at the White House as part of events to mark St Patrick’s Day.
The president is also meeting the leaders of the five main Stormont parties on Friday.
However, he has yet to confirm if he will visit Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement next month.
He ignored most questions from reporters during a press conference in the Oval Office but when asked about a visit to Ireland he said it would happen “soon”.
He said that he reaffirmed his administration’s support for the Good Friday Agreement.
The president has also used Friday’s engagements to voice strong support for the new Windsor Framework.
“It’s a vital, vital step and it’s going to help to ensure that all the people in Northern Ireland have an opportunity to realise their full potential,” he told Northern Ireland’s political leaders during a lunch event on Capitol Hill.
On Sunday PM Rishi Sunak said he had extended an invite to the president to visit Northern Ireland to take part in events relating to the peace deal.
Image source, Getty Images
Political leaders from the island of Ireland are in Washington for St Patrick’s Day
Mr Varadkar said he appreciated the “support and understanding” from the US over Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol in recent years.
Both leaders also thanked each other for co-operation in relation to the war in Ukraine.
Traditionally US presidents make a visit to Ireland halfway through a presidential term.
Mr Biden has made much of his Irish roots and it is expected he will make a trip covering Northern Ireland, Dublin and County Mayo, where his ancestors are from.
It all followed a familiar script.
Warm words about a warm friendship complete with log fire and shamrock bowl.
Then a barrage of questions from 50-plus reporters but not one answer.
As we were being rushed out the Oval Office door I tried again.
When are you coming to Ireland Mr President? He smiled and said “soon”.
Both leaders were well warned to give nothing away.
Details of the presidential trip may emerge later or maybe not.
Image source, YURI GRIPAS/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
The president told leaders the Windsor Framework was a “vital step” for the people of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland political leaders, business figures and PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne were among those to join President Biden at the House Speaker’s lunch on Capitol Hill.
Mr Biden praised the leaders for presenting a united front following the shooting of a senior detective in Omagh, County Tyrone, last month.
“Let me say how important it was to see you standing shoulder to shoulder with Chief Constable Byrne confirming your commitment to the future following the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector Caldwell,” said Mr Biden.
“We all have to continue to work to protect peace and stability,” he added.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says he isn’t feeling pressure from President Biden
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has been boycotting power-sharing at Stormont over its opposition to the trade arrangements that resulted from the original Brexit deal.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has yet to voice an opinion on the newly proposed Windsor Framework.
Speaking after Friday’s lunch, Sir Jeffrey said he was “not at all” pressured by President Biden to support the deal.
“We will see the president a little later at the White House and I expect there might be some further discussion there around the politics of all of this but we’ll take our time to get the right decision – I think that’s fundamentally important,” he told BBC News NI in Washington.
“I don’t feel under any pressure.”
NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, seated beside the new US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy III at the Capitol Hill lunch on Friday
Mr Varadkar performed the traditional handing over of a bowl of shamrock to the US president earlier in the Oval Office.
On Thursday night the taoiseach apologised for an “ill-judged” remark that was seen as a reference to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, which he had made during a speech in the city.
Monica Lewinsky was a young White House intern when she and the then-US President Bill Clinton embarked on an affair in the 1990s.
Image source, PA Media
Leo Varadkar regrets the “intern” remark he made during his speech, says his spokesman
The taoiseach was making an address to the Washington Ireland Programme, which helps young people develop career skills.
He took part in the programme in 2000 and in his speech on Thursday he made reference to possible concern about being an intern at the time in the White House.
After the event a spokesperson for Mr Varadkar said “the taoiseach was reminiscing about his time in Washington DC as an intern 23 years ago.
“He made an ill-judged off the cuff remark which he regrets,” said the spokesman.
“He apologises for any offence caused to anyone concerned.”
Trade deal back on the table?
There has been speculation for some time that Mr Biden will make a visit to Northern Ireland next month to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace agreement.
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has she hoped that devolved government at Stormont would be up and running again by then.
She was speaking after receiving an honorary doctorate from Ulster University at a ceremony in Washington.
Last year Ms Pelosi warned the UK government against undermining the Good Friday Agreement through its actions against the post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.
She had warned that if that happened there would be no US-UK trade deal.
Image source, Getty Images
There is music and celebration during the traditional St Patrick’s Day in the White House
But last month a deal was struck between the UK and the EU on trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.
Ms Pelosi said she “fully supports” that agreement – known as the Windsor Framework – and that it opened up the possibility of a trade deal between the US and the UK.
