Ivana Bacik
Ceist:1. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the President of the United States. [13426/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 18 April 2023
Ceisteanna (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:2. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent discussions with US or other authorities during his recent trip to Washington. [13632/23]
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Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:3. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the President of the United States. [15155/23]
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Bríd Smith
Ceist:4. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the President of the United States. [15158/23]
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Seán Haughey
Ceist:5. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the President of the United States. [15167/23]
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Brendan Smith
Ceist:6. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the President of the United States. [15168/23]
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Alan Farrell
Ceist:7. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his engagements with US businesses during his recent visit to the United States of America, in the context of investing in Ireland. [15187/23]
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Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:8. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the President of the United States. [15128/23]
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Mick Barry
Ceist:9. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the President of the United States. [15254/23]
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Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:10. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his most recent meeting with the President of the United States. [18061/23]
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Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:11. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach to report on the visit of US President Joe Biden to Ireland. [18118/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (20 píosaí cainte)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, together.
It was a pleasure to welcome President Biden to Ireland last week for what was a successful visit, underlining the warmth and closeness of our bilateral relations, our common approach on many global issues, and above all, the enduring commitment of the United States to furthering peace and prosperity on this island. During the President’s visit, as well as welcoming him to Dublin and Ballina, I hosted an official dinner for him and his delegation at Dublin Castle. I also had a bilateral meeting with him in Farmleigh House last Thursday. At our meeting, which built on the excellent engagement I had with him in Washington on St. Patrick's Day, we discussed developments in Northern Ireland, the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical issues. More broadly, we were strongly agreed on the need for the world’s democracies to work closely together in support of our shared values.
On Northern Ireland, we took stock of the situation in light of agreement on the Windsor Framework. We were of the shared view that it is in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland to see restoration of the Good Friday Agreement institutions as soon as possible. This would not only deal with the day-to-day concerns that people have on issues such as health and housing, but also help to deliver on the economic potential of Northern Ireland’s unique position, with access both to the UK's internal market and the EU's Single Market. There can be no benefit, and there is considerable risk, in allowing matters to continue to drift as they are.
We also discussed the strong trade and investment relations between Ireland and the US and the benefits they bring to both countries.
On Ukraine, we were agreed that President Putin cannot be allowed to prevail in his invasion and that we will continue to back Ukraine in its defence of its sovereignty, democracy and European path for as long as it takes. Mr. Biden also paid tribute to Ireland’s engagement on global food security, and we agreed that this is an area where we should do more together. I referred to the excellent work under way in this regard and recalled with President Biden that I had met the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, administrator, Samantha Power, in Washington last month.
Last month, I visited Washington for a programme of engagements around St. Patrick's Day. I had a series of political engagements with President Biden, Vice President Harris, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus. The 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement was noted in all of these engagements and I reiterated the deep gratitude of Ireland for the steadfast friendship of the US throughout the peace process. My meetings were also an opportunity to celebrate the strength and vibrancy of relations between Ireland and the US. In my meeting with President Biden in the Oval Office, we discussed our increasingly two-way economic relationship. We also discussed the prospects for US immigration reform and the need to increase opportunities for young people to move between our countries with greater ease.
While in Washington, I had several other engagements, including: attending the Ireland Funds dinner; addressing a Washington Ireland Program event; meeting the African American Irish Diaspora Network and students at Howard University; and an event at Georgetown University to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, where I met Secretary Clinton one-to-one. I also met the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, Joe Kennedy, at several events. I had an economic programme that included meetings with US companies invested in Ireland and Irish companies growing their footprint in the US, a presentation of the Science Foundation Ireland annual medals and a speech to the US Chamber of Commerce. I attended showcase cultural event organised by the Irish Embassy in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in honour of the unique contribution of the US to peace in Ireland.
I thank the Taoiseach for that comprehensive report on the constructive visit by the US President, Mr. Joe Biden, to Ireland last week to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. In the President's speech in the Oireachtas, and in his other speeches, he made some welcome and positive interventions in seeking to further the peace process and ensure support for the Windsor Framework. He also touched on a number of other issues, as the Taoiseach said, including climate change, corporate responsibility and solidarity with Ukraine, which were welcome issues to raise.
The Taoiseach mentioned that he had the opportunity to engage with him on geopolitical issues. Did the Taoiseach have the time to discuss with him the situation in Palestine and how the lessons learned from our peace process can be applied in the Middle East? I ask because in recent weeks we have seen appalling actions by Israeli forces, most recently a brutal raid at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was the latest abuse by Israel of the rights of Palestinian people.
I note what is happening in Sudan and the awful assault on Irish diplomat, Aidan O'Hara, serving with the EU. I offer our solidarity and support to Ambassador O'Hara.
We should all acknowledge the tremendous organisational feat that the visit of the US President gave to this country and the world at large in highlighting the issues of importance today. It also provided a great opportunity to renew the vigour and forward progress of the original sentiments expressed in the Good Friday Agreement and the need for an urgent reappraisal of everybody's position to move that debate forward in a meaningful way, without offence to anybody.
My jaw nearly dropped when the Taoiseach said, after meeting President Biden, that he did not know what the world would do without the assistance he and the United States have provided to protect democracy and security around the world. When he made that amazing statement, I wonder if he knew about Joe Biden's record. Did he know, for example, that Joe Biden said that if Israel did not exist, the United States would have to invent it and that there was not that much difference between the policy of the United States and the policy of Israel, despite the war crimes, crimes against humanity and theft of land that Israel visits on the Palestinians? How did he contribute to world peace by doing an arms deal for billions of euro with the Saudi dictatorship to prosecute a murderous war against the people of Yemen? How did he contribute to world security by being the major advocate in the US Senate for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis? I cannot believe the Taoiseach or others could have made those statements.
The Government and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, have praised President Biden's climate action but the reality of his climate policies is quite different. He has approved more oil and gas drilling permits during his term so far than the Trump Administration did. He has sanctioned the Willow project in Alaska, which will see 600 million barrels of oil flow and release more than 9 million metric tonnes of CO2. He has auctioned off 73 million acres of water in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore oil and gas drilling and he has signed off on another liquified natural gas, LNG, project in Alaska. All of this comes at a time when he sings the praises of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, report, which tells us that we just cannot have new fossil fuel infrastructure on the planet if we want to limit global temperature rises.
I want to ask the Taoiseach about the astonishing welcome for Biden's climate policies that the Government has given. Are such double standards attractive to the Taoiseach and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, given that they may have engaged in lofty rhetoric on climate while, at the same time, holding the door open to the location of an LNG terminal in Shannon or somewhere else? Can the Taoiseach please clarify the Government's policy on LNG?
I too believe the visit to Ireland by US President Joe Biden last week can be considered a great success. It cemented the close ties between Ireland and the US, put the focus on the Belfast-Good Friday Agreement, opened up the possibility of substantial investment in the North if political stability can be achieved and reinforced our shared western values.
In his Dáil address, President Biden said that the UK Government should work more closely with Ireland regarding the restoration of power sharing. He said that peace needs champions and nurturing. Did the Taoiseach raise these specific concerns with President Biden, either on St. Patrick's Day or in Farmleigh House?
President Biden has often spoken about the conflict between autocracies and democracies and he did so again in the Dáil last week. In this context, did the Taoiseach discuss the challenges posed by China in his private talks with president last Thursday in Farmleigh House? The press statements issued after the meeting are not clear on this point.
I also welcome President Biden's successful visit and it was great to see the international media coverage throughout the three days.
I am glad that the Taoiseach outlined in his reply that he raised immigration reform with President Biden and in other fora when he was in the United States. It is extremely important that this issue is kept on the agenda in regard to the undocumented Irish. According to the embassy, consulates general and Irish immigration centres, it is estimated that 10,000-plus Irish people in the US do not have their status regularised. Those people experience huge problems in getting driver's licences, free legal advice or healthcare. The point was recently made to me by representatives of some of the immigration centres that prior to 9-11 some of the people who are regarded as undocumented used to be in a position to travel home irregularly.
That age group now cannot travel here. Their parents and siblings at home are getting older. The difficulties continue for those people. I ask the Taoiseach to please keep it on the agenda as a very important issue.
At one point last week the RTÉ News website led with the following four so-called news stories: "High hopes for Biden selfie in front of Ballina mural"; "'Part of his soul' and DNA: How Irish is Joe Biden?"; "He comes as a pilgrim': Knock prepares Biden welcome"; and last but not least, "New business hopes Biden calls in for 'a cup of Joe'". The man variously described in the Irish corporate media as the leader of the free world and as a man of peace was rarely, if ever, described as a supporter of a large number of the world's dictatorships or as the commander-in-chief of the largest, most expensive and most deadly military machine ever known to man - both of which, of course, he is. Is the Taoiseach in any sense embarrassed by the over-the-top fawning of the Irish media and political establishment last week?
I agree with the Taoiseach. The visit was hugely successful. It was a visit primarily about Ireland and it involved a person with a very deep connection with this country returning home. I for one think we should be gracious about that. Notwithstanding the obvious difficulties and objections we have to wider American foreign policy, let it be said and clearly understood that the US was and remains a crucial and key partner in the Irish peace process. We meet at a time when the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, 25 years on, are not functioning. I am very concerned about drift in that regard. The DUP has been given space and time and it is now decision time. What is the Government's plan to ensure the restoration of government in the North? Can the Taoiseach confirm whether he will have a meeting with the British Prime Minister this week? They are on a joint platform together.
We all have huge differences with American foreign policy but it is fair to say President Joe Biden is somebody who has a real connection with Ireland and with north County Louth and the Cooley Peninsula, which is obviously a fabulous part of the world. It was news to us all the vital part Rob Kearney played in the independence struggle so I thank President Biden for that. Let us be clear: American support has been absolutely vital in respect of the Good Friday Agreement, the protocol and the Windsor Framework. I will follow my party leader by reiterating that our big fear is drift. We all want the DUP to join the rest of us, to form an Executive and do what needs to be done. We need to make sure we maintain this pressure. Part of the leverage that existed was due to the fact that the British Government will have problems making a trade deal unless it does right by Ireland, North and South. We need to make sure that conversation was had with the American President and that it will be delivered to the British Government.
At the centre of Joe Biden's speech to the House last week was talk of a new cold war, in reality, pitching that the key struggle in the world is between democracy and autocracy. However, he failed to mention that the US provides military support to the majority of dictatorships in the world. Really the idea is to have a US-led NATO in the West against the east of China, Russia and their allies. It is very clear that this Government has no doubt about where it stands on that and would like Ireland to abandon all of what is left of neutrality and align with NATO. Public opinion remains a very important obstacle to what the Government would like. Just over a month ago, the Taoiseach's predecessor said that we might have a citizens' assembly on neutrality, with a random selection of citizens coming together to discuss neutrality. That was then downgraded last week to a special forum on neutrality inspired by the principles of the citizens' assembly. I assume that the key principle of a random selection of citizens has been abandoned because the Government is scared of the people's opinion on this matter.
I thank the Deputies. Deputy Bacik mentioned the EU ambassador Aidan O'Hara. I want to take the opportunity to confirm to the House that on Monday, a robbery was conducted by armed men at the home of the EU head of delegation in Sudan, H.E. Aidan O'Hara. The Department of Foreign Affairs has been in touch with Aidan, who thankfully was not seriously hurt. However, the attack was deeply worrying. Aidan is a former Irish ambassador and is an outstanding diplomat serving the European Union under the most difficult circumstances. I think all of us in the House would like to send him our best wishes.
Regarding President Biden's visit, it is important not to forget that he was an invited guest. When you invite a guest to your house, or to your country, you treat them well, make them feel welcome and treat them with respect. That is what was done by politicians in this House, by the Irish public in general and perhaps even by the media. I do not think that is a bad thing. Deputies might take the view that he should not have been invited in the first place, which is fair enough but if an invitation is issued to somebody and they come to your town, village, community, home or country, you treat them with respect and courtesy.
He is a politician, not a celebrity.
That is what was done. We did not have time in our meeting to discuss the situation in Israel or Palestine but there were other meetings. The Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, was present in Ireland as well, as were other senior White House staff, so it may have come up in other meetings that I was not party to. The main focus was on Ukraine and also on China. The President was very clear that he is not seeking a new cold war with China; nor do Ireland or Europe want to be caught in the middle of a cold war between the USA and China. However, the President does want a rules-based international order based on democracy, liberty, territorial integrity and freedom - the values we share with America.
Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned comments President Biden made in the past stating that if Israel did not exist, America would make it exist. I am not sure when they were made or in what context. I hope the Deputy agrees with me that Israel should exist.
Not as an apartheid state. If there were equal rights for everybody then yes, some state should exist but not as an apartheid state.
I certainly believe it should exist alongside an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders. That is the position of the Government.
That is a myth. That is partition.
With regard to the question on climate, one thing President Biden asks from time to time is for people to compare him to the alternative, not the Almighty. That is my answer on climate, given what the alternative might be under a different administration. We do not have a choice when it comes to whom people select as their president or their government. That is the sovereign right of any independent country.
I compared him to Trump. He is much worse.
I think it is fair to say there is more commitment to climate action from this Administration than others.
On Deputy Haughey's question, the UK Government is working closely with Ireland. We certainly worked closely together over the past couple of months when it came to the Windsor Framework and getting that agreed but I do not think the UK and Irish Governments have operated as closely as they did in the past. Since Brexit, the relationship has not been as close as it was. Looking back at those documentaries from 25 years ago, it was very evident that the two Governments worked very closely together. Northern Ireland perhaps works best when the two Governments work hand-in-hand, have a common strategy and try to pursue common objectives. Brexit upended that. I hope we are now coming to the end of that chapter and can start a new chapter where the two Governments work hand-in-hand again in the interests of the people in Northern Ireland and honouring the Good Friday Agreement. I will be in Belfast tomorrow attending a number of events alongside the British Prime Minister. It is intended that we will have a bilateral meeting but we have not set a time for that as of now.
Regarding immigration and the issue of the undocumented Irish in the US, I raised this matter in the Oval Office in Washington last week. President Biden and his Administration would like to bring about comprehensive immigration reform and would like to have schemes similar to the undocumented schemes we have had here in Ireland for people who have become undocumented. However, the realpolitik of American politics, as we will understand, is that there is not a majority in Congress to do that. That is the difficulty at the moment but we continue to keep the issue on the agenda.