Biden statement on ‘guarded border’ is positive

PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden’s comments that  America does not want a ‘guarded border’ between the North and the Republic  following Brexit has been welcomed by Border Communities Against Brexit.

Speaking in the wake of Joe Biden’s statement to reporters in Delaware, Johnny Kelly said the president’s view is not surprising and also, a “welcome development.”

Addressing journalists Mr Biden said,  “We do not want a guarded border. We’ve worked too long to get Ireland worked out.

“The idea of having a border north and south once again being closed is just not right, we’ve just got to keep the border open.”

An Irish American himself, the president-elect previously stated that any UK-US  trade deal post-Brexit had to be “contingent” on respect for the Good Friday Agreement. This was in response to the British Government threatening to overrule the Brexit withdrawal agreement which had committed it to keeping the border open.

The so-called  Internal Market Bill is designed to enable goods and services to flow freely across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland after January 1 – when the post-Brexit transition period runs out.

“I wasn’t surprised at all by his comments,” Johnny Kelly said this week.

“Members of congress have been saying things like this for a considerable time period, even before the British Government announced its intentions to tamper with the withdrawal agreement. They have emphasised that tampering with the Good Friday Agreement would make a free trade deal with the US very difficult. And the American stance has strengthened on this and they seem to be very steadfast. They are saying that any trade deal would be contingent on the Good Friday Agreement being protected.

“Joe Biden is an authentic Irish man and he understands the situation here.

“What he said is a very positive development.”

Joe Biden had also said before  that the Good Friday Agreement ‘cannot become a casualty of Brexit’.

The British Government and the EU remain in negotiations to strike a deal ahead of the post-Brexit transition period ending in January.

Johnny Kelly believes that a deal is possible but that it will be a “fudge.”

“Who knows what will happen but personally, I think it will be a fudge and it won’t be a final deal,” he continued.

‘There probably is a core of a deal agreed but the problem is it has taken us so long to come this far and nothing has been finalised.”