By Vivienne Clarke
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has acknowledged that the Government is preparing for the prospect of a No Deal Brexit.
Speaking on RTÉ radio Mr Martin said he was not optimistic at this stage about the possibility of a Brexit deal. He said he believed there were two options, either a limited trade deal or no deal at all.
Mr Martin said he had “made it very clear in no uncertain terms” in a telephone call to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Ireland’s opposition to the “unilateral” decision by the UK to breach an international treaty and its obligations.
Such an action raised the fundamental issue of trust and had implications for future negotiations, he warned. “Trust has been eroded.”
The Taoiseach said that when a government enters into an agreement, their own parliament approves it, then that has implications for the future.
Publishing a bill such as happened this week, suggested plans to break their commitment to international law.
Good Friday Agreement
It comes as US house speaker Nancy Pelosi warned there will be “absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress,” if Britain violates an international treaty and Brexit undermines the Belfast Agreement.
In a statement to the Irish Times on Wednesday evening, Ms Pelosi said Britain must “respect the Northern Ireland Protocol as signed with the EU to ensure the free flow of goods across the Border.”
“The Good Friday Agreement is the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and an inspiration for the whole world,” she said.
“Whatever form it takes, Brexit cannot be allowed to imperil the Good Friday Agreement, including the stability brought by the invisible and frictionless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.”
