US vice-president Kamala Harris will meet virtually tomorrow with Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill The Irish Times understands, as Northern Ireland is set to top the agenda for the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington. It is understood that a meeting between the three female leaders is being finalised on the eve of the St Patrick’s Day meetings. As usual, the highpoint of the traditional St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the White House will be the bilateral meeting between the Taoiseach and the US president, which will take place remotely for the first time due to the covid pandemic. The resolution – which was sponsored by Democrat Robert Menendez and Republican Susan Collins – was brought to the floor ahead of Wednesday’s engagements between Taoiseach Michael Martin and senior US figures for St Patrick’s Day. “Over the past two decades, political leaders in Northern Ireland, along with the Irish and British governments, have made enormous progress, though important issues remain unresolved,” she said.

Source: The Irish Times March 16, 2021 19:21 UTC