TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said that there will be “deep engagement” with the UK Government and parties in Northern Ireland as part of efforts to restore the powersharing executive in Stormont.
Varadkar said that the Government were working towards the restoration of both the Assembly and Executive in the “next few months”, but that he was conscious of both local elections in May and then the “difficult” marching season.
“Hopefully it’s not going to be too far away. I appreciate that there are local elections coming up in May and then there’s the marching season, which can be difficult in Northern Ireland,” Varadkar said, speaking on RTÉ’s This Week.
“We’re certainly working towards having institutions up and running in the next few months.”
Varadkar said that there had been “huge amount of effort” put into getting the Windsor Framework agreed and that this was done to attempt to bring the DUP back into Government in Northern Ireland.
“One of the reasons why we did that, aside from making sure that we avoid a return to a hard border, was that the agreement could potentially reopen the possibility of the DUP coming back into the Executive.”
Varadkar said that there would be further engagement with the five main parties in Northern Ireland and that he would be “intensifying” his contacts with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“What we know from history is that Northern Ireland only really works when the two governments work hand in hand.
“One thing I’ve been struck by in watching all the documentaries around the history of the Good Friday Agreement was the extent to which the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister had to be in lockstep and now that we have the agreement on the Protocol, I think it’s possible to do that.”
When asked if he believed there needed to be reform of the Good Friday Agreement to prevent parties from blocking both the Executive and Assembly, Varadkar said that this should only be examined when the institutions are restored.
“I think if we’re going to do a review of the Good Friday Agreement, that should be done when the institutions are up and running,” Varadkar said.
“I think when you have the parties around the table, when they’re acting together as a government, when they’re dealing with practical problems, I think that’s a better space in which to have any kind of review.
“We always have to be very careful once you open the door to review. You never know where it’s going to end up,” he added.
In particular, Varadkar referenced the previous review of the Good Friday Agreement at St Andrews, where changes were made to how the First and Deputy First Minister were appointed.
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