Northern Ireland First Minister O’Neill argued ahead of a political meeting in Cardiff that a referendum on Irish unity should be held. The meeting will be attended by Scottish National Party leader John Swinney and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.
O’Neill described Donald Trump’s remarks on Saturday — “I want to see a united Ireland” — as a sign that the possibility of unification remains on the political agenda. She compared Trump’s position with an earlier statement by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham that Irish unity was not on the agenda.
Parties prepare joint working plan
O’Neill said the three parties had agreed to work together following elections held in Wales and Scotland in May, adding that the Cardiff meeting would address how cooperation would be organized. She announced that a memorandum of understanding would be signed at the end of the talks on joint work and improving people’s quality of life.
In addition to O’Neill, Swinney and ap Iorwerth, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald will attend the meeting. The leaders are expected to discuss common interests and the right to self-determination.
Belfast Agreement cited as basis for referendum
O’Neill said the UK Parliament in London was refusing to implement the constitutional changes requested by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. She said Northern Ireland’s demands should be considered within the framework of the 1998 Belfast Agreement, which ended the conflict on the island.
O’Neill said 28 years had passed since the Belfast Agreement was signed and that significant progress had been made during that period, but added that Irish unity was the next stage in the national journey. Arguing that the necessary referendum would mean implementing the Belfast Agreement, O’Neill said Burnham should offer Northern Ireland the opportunity to exercise self-determination as part of his responsibilities under the agreement.
O’Neill criticizes U.S. policy on Gaza
O’Neill said she supported Trump’s views on Ireland but strongly disagreed with his position on Gaza and U.S. foreign policy. Criticizing U.S. policy in Gaza over what she described as its role in “being complicit in genocide,” O’Neill said her position on the issue would not change.
O’Neill said she also did not support most of the U.S. views on the Irish peace process, but recalled that the United States had helped secure the signing of the Belfast Agreement 28 years ago. She said relations and talks therefore remained important.
O’Neill calls on Burnham to hold unity referendum
O’Neill criticized Burnham’s previous statement that Irish unity was not on the agenda. She said the Cardiff meeting should show that the issue remained on the agenda and that the leaders were coming together around common goals.
O’Neill said no UK prime minister had the right to remove Irish unity from the agenda and called on Burnham to fulfill his responsibilities under the Belfast Agreement.
The three leaders meeting in Cardiff are known for political positions favoring the breakup of the United Kingdom, but they will attend the meeting as party leaders rather than in their capacity as regional first ministers.
