US urges no more 'flare ups' from UK over Northern Ireland
Source: The Guardian
US urges no more ‘flare ups’ from UK over Northern Ireland
European unity ‘is our north star’ says Department of State official, as protocol standoff appears to ease
Patrick Wintour and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 6 Oct 2022 19.29 BST
Last modified on Thu 6 Oct 2022 21.12 BST
A senior adviser in the Biden administration has urged the UK not to cause more “flare ups” over Northern Ireland as Brexit talks reopen in London.
In an unusually blunt intervention for a policy adviser, the US Department of State counsellor Derek Chollet said the row over the Northern Ireland protocol needed to be resolved.
“The last thing we need is flare-ups right at a moment where transatlantic unity, European unity, is more important than ever. That is our north star,” he said.
“We understand that there’s some practical realities and that adjustments could be made. But we don’t think that unilateral steps are helpful. We want to see the temperature go down on this, and I think, to everyone’s credit, it has in recent weeks,” he added.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/06/us-urges-no-more-flare-ups-from-uk-over-northern-ireland