Coveney supports appointment of Northern Ireland envoy by US government

Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has said he supports the appointment of a Northern Ireland envoy by the US government, as the White House prepares to name a number of ambassadorial positions in the coming weeks.

Speaking at a virtual briefing for Irish citizens and the Irish-American community in New York, Mr Coveney said that he “absolutely” supported the appointment of a US envoy specifically for Northern Ireland.

“When there’s been a special envoy to Northern Ireland, I think it creates a really structured link if you like between the administration and the White House and what is actually happening on the ground in Northern Ireland,” he said. To have an envoy reporting back to Washington on a weekly basis on the complex politics of Ireland would be “a very, very useful tool, particularly at the moment given the multitude of challenges that we face.”

“Lots of things are changing in Northern Ireland and I think that changing landscape needs to be understood in Washington,” he told the gathering which was hosted by the Irish consulate in New York.

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Congress

His comments come as more than two dozen members of congress, in a letter initiated by Massachusetts congressman Bill Keating, wrote to US president Joe Biden last week calling for the appointment of a special envoy. Mr Biden is expected to name a slate of ambassadorial choices, including an ambassador to Ireland, by the end of the month.

Asked about the timing for a referendum on Irish unity, Mr Coveney said: “we have a lot of work to do before a unity referendum could or would be passed.”

“I think it would be wrong for us to set dates for some time in the future which some people have tried to do. We know what happens when you set a date that’s fixed in the future without actually doing your homework,” he said. “That’s what David Cameron did when he set a date for a Brexit referendum that wasn’t properly thought through, that people didn’t understand the full consequences of, and we’ve spent the last four and a half years trying to deal with the consequences of that.”

He said the focus for the Irish Government now should be on making the institutions of the Belfast Agreement work.

“I’m a nationalist, I will advocate for that change in the future, but I’m also a realist,” he said, highlighting the need to respect the views of unionists who have “a very different vision for the future.”

Mr Coveney also defended the Northern Ireland protocol negotiated as part of the Brexit negotiations between the British government and the European Commission.

“There is no alternative. We have to make it work and it is a joint responsibility to do so,” he said, noting that the British government had negotiated and signed-off on the agreement. “Unilateral actions go against the spirit and the letter of what has been agreed.”

Asked if there had been a breakdown of trust between the Irish and British governments, he said: “The truth is that there has been a number of incidences that the British government have made decisions that have undermined previous commitments they made.” This included the Internal Markets Bill last year, the unilateral decision not to implement certain elements of the protocol which has initiated legal action by the European Commission, and the legacy issue, adding that Britain is not adhering to the Stormont House agreement.

“That has damaged trust,” said Mr Coveney, “but we’re all experienced politicians… this shouldn’t be about people taking offence. Northern Ireland works when the British and Irish governments work together.”

Mr Coveney also told people on the call that he believed that "significant restrictions" on travel between the United States and Ireland could be lifted in July at the earliest.