Biden, Truss seek to smooth over N Ireland divide
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss declared themselves staunch allies Wednesday as they tried to patch up a divide over Brexit’s impact on peace in Northern Ireland.
The leaders met at the United Nations two days after they attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, and Britain hopes the global goodwill toward the late queen will help smooth out bumps in relations with the U.S. and other allies caused by the U.K.’s departure from the European Union.
The U.S., in particular, is concerned that Brexit has rattled the foundations of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord that ended 30 years of sectarian violence.
“We are both committed to protecting the Good Friday Agreement of Northern Ireland, and I’m looking forward to hearing what’s on your mind,” Biden said at the start of the meeting at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.