The talks are understood to have made some progress in trying to find ways to reduce the burden of customs paperwork on Northern Ireland businesses.
Image caption,Liz Truss says a solution must be found to allow focus on “external issues” like the situation in Eastern Europe
But in other areas, like agri-food, there are still large differences.
Mrs Truss described Monday’s meeting as a stock-taking exercise.
“I will be outlining to EU member states the importance of finding solutions that protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions,” she said.
“It is important we all work together to preserve peace and stability in Northern Ireland, allowing us to focus on building a stronger relationship and focus on external issues, not least the situation in Eastern Europe and standing up to Russian aggression.”
Northern Ireland’s first and deputy first ministers normally attend the Joint Committee but those positions are vacant since the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) Paul Givan stepped down from the first minister’s post.
He resigned as part of the DUP’s campaign of opposition to the protocol.
Geraldine Finucane, the wife of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane, spoke at a US Congress commission hearing yesterday on UK plans to end all Troubles-era prosecutions. Picture by Mal McCann..
Paul Ainsworth16 February, 2022 01:00
THE British government is “preventing any scrutiny of their actions” by seeking to block future prosecutions and inquests of Troubles cases, a US Congress Commission has heard.
The hearing in Washington DC was hosted yesterday by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and speakers included Geraldine Finucane, the wife of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane, and Alan McBride, whose wife Sharon was killed in the IRA Shankill bombing in 1993.
The ‘Northern Ireland: Accountability at Risk’ hearing was chaired by Congressman Christopher H. Smith, who criticised the amnesty plan announced last summer by the UK government that would bring an end to all Troubles-era prosecutions.
British prime minister Boris Johnson has said the move would “draw a line under the Troubles”, but it has been opposed by all of the north’s main political parties.
“The UK is contemplating a unilateral action to declare immunity by passing…a statute of limitations for Troubles-era killings before there has been full accountability, against the express wishes of nearly every major actor in Northern Ireland, be they Catholic or Protestant,” Congressman Smith claimed.
He called the plans “profoundly unjust” adding that they took peace in the north “for granted”.
Also speaking was Mark Thompson of the Relatives for Justice group, who said: “The UK government have mounted a rearguard action to prevent any scrutiny of their actions.”
He also compared their plans to the actions of a “rogue state”.
Meanwhile, Geraldine Finucane spoke to attendees about the day her husband was murdered, describing it as “the day our lives changed forever”.
She said the British government “simply wants to sweep its actions and responsibility under the carpet forever, with no risk of any exposure”.
Alan McBride told the hearing: “Wherever families were hurt, no matter if they were republican families, or loyalist…or whether they were families belonging to the security forces, everybody needs their time in court, everybody needs some sense of justice.”
Among the guest delegation was former chief constable of Bedfordshire Police Jon Boutcher, who heads Operation Kenova, the probe into over 200 Troubles murders and the activities of the British agent within the IRA known as Stakeknife.
“Families want to be listened to, acknowledged, and told the truth of what happened,” he told the commission.
“They want to know that their loss mattered, that what happened was wrong. It’s a failing of all of us in authority that so many families believe that the authorities that were there to protect them and investigate these matters do not care about what happened.”
Co-chairing the commission was Congressman Jim McGovern, who said dealing with the past was “morally necessary” and “simply the right thing to do”.
He added: “It’s time to redouble efforts to reveal the full truth about what happened, hold those responsible accountable, in order to preserve hard-won peace.”
Image caption,Last July the government proposed a statute of limitations that would mean no more criminal investigations or prosecutions related to the Troubles period
A number of US politicians have criticised the UK government at a congressional hearing on controversial proposals to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.
They were speaking at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission which heard evidence from several people.
Committee co-chair Christopher Smith talked about a “massive cover-up”.
“There is nothing benign about an amnesty when it is all about concealing facts that would hold people to account,” he said.
“This is a massive cover-up by the British government.
“This is an embarrassment and I hope some MPs will push back against this in the House of Commons,” the Republican congressman said.
Addressing the committee on Tuesday, another congressman, Democrat Brendan Boyle, said the proposals would take Northern Ireland backwards.
The committee heard testimony from, among others, Geraldine Finucane, who is fighting for a public inquiry into the UDA murder of her husband, solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989.
She said the legacy proposals were an attempt by the UK “to sweep its actions and responsibilities under the carpet forever, with no risk of any exposure.”
Referring to opposition to the proposals, Mrs Finucane added: “I think we have all woken up.
“Everyone, no matter what side you are on, is really against this and is seeking help from you and others who have some influence.”
Jon Boutcher, head of Operation Kenova – an independent investigations unit looking at more than 200 Troubles-era murders – also gave evidence.
He told the committee he was “extremely nervous around stepping away from a criminal justice process.”
Mr Boutcher added: “I do think there is an opportunity to get this right.
“A lot of it, I do feel, falls on the shoulders of the British government to take a different direction to that they are currently taking.”
Mark Thompson from Relatives for Justice asked the committee to encourage the US administration to convene a legacy summit, involving governments, political parties and victims’ groups.
He said the UK must be made to honour previous commitments on dealing with the past under the Stormont House Agreement
Irish American Claire D. Cronin has officially assumed her role as US Ambassador to Ireland during a ceremony with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin.
February 10, 2022: Claire D. Cronin, Ambassador of the United States of America, presents her credentials to President of Ireland Michael D Higgins. ROLLINGNEWS.IE
Claire D. Cronin presented her credentials to President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins at a ceremony in Dublin’s Áras an Uachtaráin on February 10, officially assuming the office of United States Ambassador to Ireland.
“I am deeply honored to serve as US Ambassador to Ireland,” Cronin said after presenting her credentials on Thursday.
“My grandfather hailed from County Donegal, and I feel a great sense of connection to Ireland and its people.
“As Ambassador, I plan to build on our important relationship by advancing mutual interests, as well as cooperating with my Irish partners in addressing global challenges facing our two countries.
Ambassador Cronin, who arrived in Ireland on Wednesday, February 9, was joined at Áras an Uachtaráin on Thursday by her husband, Ray, and their two daughters, Kara and Kerry.
The US Embassy in Dublin also shared a welcome video featuring Cronin on Thursday as she officially begins her role. In the video, Cronin said she is “honored” to be US President Joe Biden’s choice to serve as the US Ambassador to Ireland. Cronin was a key campaigner for Biden in her home state of Massachusetts, where she was serving as the Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the first female to hold the position.ADVERTISING
“As a proud American with family ties to Ireland, I am excited to return to the land of my ancestors at a time of so many opportunities for both countries,” Cronin said in the video.
“My grandfather left Ireland for a future in America full of hope and promise. He would be thrilled to see his granddaughter return to these shores as the US Ambassador. It is a dream come true.”
She continued: “President Biden entrusted me as the US Ambassador to Ireland at a very important moment. As his eyes and ears here in Ireland, I plan to engage with politicians and other stakeholders. President Biden is unequivocal in his support for the Good Friday Agreement, a historic achievement that must be protected to ensure peace and stability in Northern Ireland.”
Cronin also pledged to grow the “mutually beneficial economic relationship” between the US and Ireland.
Cronin said it was a “thrill” to move into Deerfield House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, the home of the US Ambassador to Ireland. “I look forward to opening these historic doors in welcoming Irish friends and colleagues, whether for business, diplomatic meetings, or cultural events like the Embassy’s Creative Minds series.”
She added: “President Biden once recalled his grandmother’s words that the best drop of blood in you is Irish. I have to agree with him. I will cherish every moment here as US Ambassador to Ireland and I will always work to raise prosperity in both of our countries.”ADVERTISINGhttps://www.irishcentral.com/news/claire-cronin-us-ambassador-ireland-dublin?fbclid=IwAR1RPhnnpivjkoYie2vQghTBHn8f4pIOqb3FR-Os5E2bVlZia-irEmECuu8
Cronin is the 25th US Ambassador to Ireland and is the first female to hold the position since Jean Kennedy Smith, who served from 1993 – 1998. The last US Ambassador to Ireland, Edward Crawford, served from 2019 – 2021.
