Ireland won’t sign any Brexit deal unless Good Friday Agreement is protected Ireland will block any Brexit deal that does not “fully” protect the Good Friday Agreement, according to the country’s new foreign […]

Ireland will block any Brexit deal that does not “fully” protect the Good Friday Agreement, according to the country’s new foreign minister.

Simon Coveney, in Stormont for talks to reinstate powersharing in Northern Ireland, warned that the Irish government would insist on finding a solution that protects its terms in full.

Ireland, as one of 27 remaining EU member states, has the right to block a Brexit deal in its national parliament.

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“We have a Good Friday Agreement, which is also an international legal document that needs to be respected in the context of Brexit negotiations,” Mr Coveney told RTE, Ireland’s state broadcaster.

“That makes it very complicated, but it’s something that we have to, and I will, insist on being the case.

‘Protect the peace process fully’

“Ireland will not sign off on a Brexit deal unless we protect the Good Friday Agreement fully, unless we protect the peace process fully, and unless we protect the normalisation that has been created over a number of decades on the island of Ireland in terms of the relationship between north and south.

Theresa May has said that her government is committed to the Good Friday Agreement, which established the post-Troubles institutions of Northern Ireland.

But there are difficulties which must be overcome to allow the deal to remain valid when Britain leaves the European Union.

Strand Two of the agreement deals with crossborder institutions which promote mutual prosperity in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is written with mutual membership of the European Union in mind.

Mr Coveney will replace Britain’s most senior Brexit minister David Davis in Brussels tomorrow as he meets with Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator.

Northern Ireland disadvantaged

According to reports, the problem of Ireland took up a large proportion of initial talks between Mr Davis and Mr Barnier today.

Mr Coveney also spoke about the difficult of Northern Ireland heading into EU negotiations without a government of its own to speak up. He encouraged the DUP and Sinn Fein to find a way to return to powersharing and participate in the debate.

“Without that voice people in Northern Ireland will be disadvantaged in a major way and will be essentially relying on others to make the case for them,” he said.

“I will be making that case tomorrow for example despite the fact that it should really be a First Minister and a Deputy First Minister there to meet Michel Barnier or others to make the case for Northern Ireland.”