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Will Gerry Adams attend the White House on St Patrick's Day?

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has confirmed he will travel to the USA during St Patrick'...
Newstalk
Newstalk

10.01 5 Feb 2017


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Will Gerry Adams attend the Wh...

Will Gerry Adams attend the White House on St Patrick's Day?

Newstalk
Newstalk

10.01 5 Feb 2017


Share this article


Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has confirmed he will travel to the USA during St Patrick's week.

He says the 48-hour visit will be to brief Irish-American leaders and politicians on the negotiations in the North, Brexit and the needs of the undocumented Irish.

This will include a meeting with the Friends of Ireland in Congress and Irish-American representatives.

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Mr Adams also says that, if invited, he will attend the Speakers Lunch and an event in the White House.

Mr Adams said: "At this critical time in the Irish peace process it does not make sense for Irish leaders to exclude ourselves from an opportunity to engage on critical issues like the crisis in the political institutions, Brexit, the future of the Good Friday Agreement, Irish unity and the rights of the undocumented Irish in the USA.

"Consequently I will travel to the USA in March.

"I understand that all of this is happening at a time of deep concern in Ireland and globally at the actions of Donald Trump since his election as President of the United States.

"Sinn Féin has been to the fore in opposing these measures. We have raised our concerns in the Dáil, written to President Trump directly to outline our opposition and Michelle O’Neill has made clear that if returned to the executive we would not issue an invite to him to visit Ireland."

"Since Bill Clinton lifted the ban on my entry to the United States in early 1994 Sinn Féin have had to work with a number of US presidents who we strongly disagreed with in relation to the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, their support for Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and the blockade of Cuba.

"We raised our objections publicly and with each of them and will continue to do so with this president."

Sinn Féin Dublin Mid-West TD Eoin Ó Broin told The Sunday Show here on Newstalk all party leaders should make their opposition clear.

"What he's saying is if there was an invitation extended, he would accept it.

"The choice for many of us is when you're faced with a president who's policies are abhorrent and are bad both for Ireland and globally, do you boycott and simply not engage - or do you engage both to make your views on those issues clear, but also to raise issues of big concern.

"But what I expect of all Irish politicians if they do engage with Trump is the firs thing on their agenda should be to make very, very clear the huge opposition both here and globally to policies he's now trying to introduce".


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