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The president delivered a speech in front of the Irish legislature, meeting in joint session, on April 13. Biden referred to peace, culture and his country’s ties to the nation where many of his ancestors were born. At another point during his visit to Ireland, the president referred for the first time to the leak of secret Pentagon documents.
“People of Ireland, it’s great to be back.” Phrases like these marked the warm tone of the speech of the president of the United States, Joe Biden, before the Irish Parliament.
Biden’s family roots come from Ireland, so these are not empty words for the president, who still has relatives in that nation.
The president spoke about his time in Northern Ireland —which is part of the United Kingdom— and He highlighted the importance of the Good Friday Agreement, which sealed a long-awaited peace in said territory after decades of conflict. Precisely, the purpose of his visit was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the pact.
“Never again must political violence be allowed to take over this island,” Biden said.
Along the same lines, he had words about the conflict in Ukraine. “Today, Ireland and the United States are united in opposing Russia’s brutal aggression and supporting the brave people of Ukraine,” the White House chief said.
“President Kennedy said (…) and I quote: Ireland follows an independent course in foreign policy, but it is not neutral between liberty and tyranny and never will be. Thank you for that,” he said.
Then Biden referred to Brexit. She recommended to her host and UK that “work more closely to support the people of Northern Ireland“, according to the EFE news agency.
The United States has not viewed some of the British decisions on Brexit very favorably. Specifically under the mandates of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.
In his speech he also touched on topics such as the culture of that territory, citing passages from the writer Seamus Heaney (1931-2013), Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995.
“As has been said, today is Seamus Heaney’s birthday, and I have always quoted Irish poetry in the United States Senate throughout my career. It’s a long career, 36 years. And my colleagues always thought I did because he was Irish. That’s not the reason. The best poets are in Ireland,” he concluded.
Biden is the fourth president in the nation to address the Irish legislature. Before him did his predecessors John F. Kennedy —who also had Irish roots— followed by Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
The US head of state concluded by reaffirming the belief that “everything is possible.” “There is nothing beyond our capabilities if we work together,” he said at the end.
Biden refers to Pentagon leaks
They are in the pipeline of the international press and came to light during Biden’s visit. Faced with the questions, the US president referred for the first time —at another time during his visit— to the most recent leaks of sensitive documents about the war in Ukraine, and other countries allied to the United States, held by the Pentagon, headquarters of the Department defense.
“I am concerned that it happened, but there is nothing contemporary that I know of that is of great importance”said the president.
This Thursday, the FBI assured that it had arrested the main suspect in said leaks and that the investigation was still ongoing.
On the same day, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, made a call social networks to “avoid facilitating the circulation of material detrimental to public safety and national security”.
According to Jean-Pierre, these companies have “a responsibility to their users and to the country.”
With AP and EFE
