Joe Biden visit to Belfast will 'emphasise US commitment to peace'

US President Joe Biden has said helium volition emphasise his country's "commitment to preserving peace" successful Northern Ireland erstwhile helium visits Belfast this evening.

He volition get successful the metropolis to people the 25th day of the Good Friday bid agreement.

The 1998 woody brought an extremity to the Troubles - the decades-long convulsive struggle successful Northern Ireland successful which thousands of radical were killed.

Mr Biden said helium was looking guardant to commemorating the anniversary.

"Twenty-five years ago, Northern Ireland's leaders chose peace," helium wrote connected Twitter.

"The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of unit and brought stability.

"I look guardant to marking the day successful Belfast, underscoring the US committedness to preserving bid and encouraging prosperity."

A White House spokesperson said President Biden had been precise excited astir visiting the land of Ireland for rather immoderate time.

While Mr Biden volition praise what politicians did successful 1998, his sojourn is overshadowed by the information that Northern Ireland's power-sharing authorities successful not functioning.

It collapsed past twelvemonth erstwhile the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - 1 of the biggest parties astatine Stormont - pulled retired arsenic portion of a protestation against post-Brexit commercialized rules for Northern Ireland.

A large information cognition is successful spot successful Belfast metropolis centre up of Mr Biden's visit.

Police person said their resources volition beryllium stretched during the president's visit.

During an amerciable parade by dissident republicans successful Londonderry connected Monday petrol bombs were thrown astatine a constabulary vehicle but the unit was confined to 1 country and ended a abbreviated clip later.

When helium arrives successful Northern Ireland the president volition beryllium greeted by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a little accidental to conscionable Stormont politicians.

A White House spokesperson said that the president was "very overmuch looking guardant to going to Belfast" and, contempt recent information concerns, "is much than comfy making this trip".

"President Biden cares profoundly astir Northern Ireland and has a agelong past of supporting bid and prosperity there," said John Kirby.

His sojourn to Northern Ireland is overmuch shorter than was primitively expected.

He volition permission Belfast connected Wednesday to be events successful counties Louth and Mayo and successful Dublin.

He volition extremity his sojourn to the Republic of Ireland connected Friday.

It is understood that erstwhile Mr Biden speaks astatine Ulster University helium volition underscore the readiness of the United States to sphere what helium sees arsenic the gains of the Good Friday Agreement.

The president is besides expected to speech astir however the US medication tin enactment Northern Ireland's economy.

Speaking connected BBC Radio 4's Today programme, erstwhile Prime Minister Tony Blair said the sojourn was important but that American power connected the Northern Ireland governmental process had to beryllium utilized with "care and sensitivity".

"There's a quality betwixt influencing and pressurising and the 1 tends to beryllium affirmative and the different tin beryllium negative," Mr Blair said.

"One happening I learned astir the unionists is if you effort to pressurise them to bash thing they are fundamentally successful disagreement with it's usually futile pressure, adjacent if it comes from the US, truthful you conscionable person to usage that power carefully.

"I had a precise adjacent narration with President Clinton extracurricular of the bid process but I recovered him immensely helpful.

"He would instantly recognize strategically what was important and what wasn't."

The constabulary accidental that nary vehicles tin entree James Street, Franklin Street, Bedford Street and Clarence Street West until Wednesday afternoon.

Public transport supplier Translink says passengers are advised to expect immoderate work disruption, diversions and delays successful Belfast metropolis centre and they counsel passengers permission other clip for their journeys.

They person besides warned travellers to let other clip erstwhile going to oregon from Belfast International Airport up of today's visit.

In the Republic, gardaí (Irish police) person said Mr Biden volition get astatine and depart Dublin Airport astatine assorted times implicit the people of his visit.

They advised travellers to let further clip for accomplishment astatine the airdrome "due to imaginable rolling roadworthy closures, peculiarly precocious Wednesday and aboriginal Friday".