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Leo Varadkar says that Ireland is entering a potentially difficult period, even if there is an agreement
The Irish Prime Minister has said that Brexit was damaging relations between Ireland and Britain.
The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that he had also "undermined" the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).
The GFA was signed by political parties in Northern Ireland in 1998 and aimed to bring peace after 30 years of The Troubles.
The British government said "nothing we agree with the EU is likely to return to a hard border".
The Irish border is one of the most important blocking points of the Brexit negotiations.
"Anything that distinguishes communities in Northern Ireland hurts the Good Friday agreement and anything that sets Great Britain apart from Ireland undermines these relationships," Varadkar said. about Marian Finucane from RTE.
Earlier, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Brexit in the Republic of Ireland had stated that a return to a hard border was threatening the peace process.
Senator Neale Richmond told the Brexit Conservative MP, Owen Paterson, on the Today program, that the proposed resolution of the border dispute with the help of "existing practical systems" was "totally unfeasible".
The discussions on Brexit culminated in a stalemate over the EU's "support" plan, according to which Northern Ireland would actually remain in the customs union and the single market, unless other arrangements are not found to avoid a hard border.
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The taoiseach's comments come two days after Nobel Peace Prize laureate and conservative Lord Trimble accused the government of Varadkar of "making little sense" about the GFA.
Lord Trimble, who was involved in drafting this landmark agreement, said the Brexit process could bring Northern Ireland to be part of an "effective protectorate of the EU" ".
Mr Paterson, former secretary of Northern Ireland, reiterated this statement, saying that any support that would involve keeping the United Kingdom in a customs union would be a "total betrayal" of millions of voters on leave and 85% of voters in the last general election. who supported the Conservative and Labor manifestos who committed to leave.
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Northern Ireland is without a decentralized government since January 2017
The Irish Prime Minister said that Ireland was entering a potentially difficult period, even if an agreement was reached.
The British Government has stated that any agreement would not "threaten the arrangements made under the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, and we continue to work very closely with the Irish Government on this matter".
"We are also working together to ensure that the unique bilateral relationship between our countries remains strong in the future," added a spokesman.
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Varadkar also said he had good relations with Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
The DUP and Sinn Féin must reach an agreement to reinstate the Stormont Assembly, he said.
Northern Ireland has been without executive since January 2017, when the ruling parties – the DUP and Sinn Féin – split in two.
If Brexit were clarified in the coming weeks or months, it would be possible to get the executive power back on track, Varadkar added.
How do you solve a problem like the Irish border?
The United Kingdom and the European Union want to avoid a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which may include physical checks or infrastructure, but can not be safe. 39, hear about how to proceed.
A key element of the negotiation is the controversial "safety net" at the border.
The backstop is a last resort solution to protect an open border on the island of Ireland in case the UK leaves the EU without getting a comprehensive deal.
What does 'sea controls from Ireland' mean?
In theory, there could be two types of offshore controls in Ireland:
- Customs – to make sure that the good EU tariffs have been paid
- regulation – to ensure that the goods meet the safety and quality standards of the EU
The government said it would never accept customs controls in the Irish Sea.
But he was also careful not to completely close the prospect of regulatory controls.
