Biden urges return to power sharing in NI as he hails 25 years of peace

Biden has urged return to power sharing in NI as he hails 25 years of peace. 

US President Joe Biden has said he hopes Northern Ireland parties will return to power sharing soon, in a speech hailing 25 years of peace

Addressing a small audience in Belfast, he said protecting peace in Northern Ireland was an issue “that brings America together”

Earlier Biden said he was “here to listen” as he held brief talks with UK PM Rishi Sunak, before meeting Northern Ireland political leaders

Northern Ireland has not had a functioning devolved government since the Democratic Unionist Party walked out over post-Brexit arrangements

Biden’s visit marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – a peace deal which helped end 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland

The US leader has now travelled to the Republic of Ireland, where he’s set to meet President Michael D Higgins, and to visit County Mayo, where he has ancestral ties.