TOBY MELVILLE
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden agreed on Thursday in the sea town of Carbis Bay in the south-west of England to renew the Atlantic Charter, which both states had agreed upon in 1941 during the Second World War.
However, the mood was clouded by disagreements over Brexit problems in the British province of Northern Ireland. It was the first personal meeting between the two top politicians since the change of power in the White House.
According to British media reports, Biden, who has Irish roots, wanted to make it clear to Johnson that Great Britain had to stand behind the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the Brexit treaty. According to reports in the Times and Guardian newspapers, top US diplomat Yael Lempert accused British Brexit Minister David Frost at a meeting of having fueled rhetoric in the dispute with the EU over trade issues. This endangers the peace in the former civil war region.
The protocol stipulates that Northern Ireland will continue to follow the rules of the EU internal market. This is to prevent a goods border with the EU member Ireland, so as not to provoke new tensions in the former civil war region. However, this requires controls between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, which create difficulties in trade. Both sides reproach each other. London had partially suspended controls by hand, and Brussels then complained about breaches of contract.
Great Britain and the USA agreed in their charter to “work together for the good of mankind”, as the government announced in London. Many elements of the new covenant were based on common values, such as the defense of democracy, the importance of collective security and the building of fair and sustainable global trading systems, the communication said. In addition, the charter will also take into account new dangers such as cyber crime, climate change and pandemics.
Johnson stressed that the UK-US cooperation was vital for post-coronavirus reconstruction and “the future of world stability and prosperity.” He continued: “Eighty years ago the US President and the UK Prime Minister stood side by side on the promise of a better future. Today we do the same. ” Before the interview, Biden reiterated “the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom”.
At the start of their meeting, the Prime Minister and the US President were accompanied by their wives Carrie Johnson and Jill Biden. The two top politicians will take part in the G7 summit in the same place from June 11th to 13th. The group of seven economically strong democracies also includes Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada.