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Politics

02nd Oct 2018

WATCH: Leo Varadkar responds to Arlene Foster’s comments regarding the Good Friday Agreement

Rudi Kinsella

Strong words from the Taoiseach.

Earlier on Tuesday, we reported that DUP leader Arlene Foster had said the Good Friday Agreement is not a “sacrosanct” piece of legislation and could be altered to pave the way for a Brexit deal.

Foster attempted to explain that the agreement was not set in stone, saying: “It has been deeply frustrating to hear people who voted remain and in Europe talk about Northern Ireland as though we can’t touch the Belfast Agreement. Things evolve, even in the EU context.

“There has been a lot of misinterpretation, holding it up as a sacrosanct piece of legislation.”

Ireland’s Taoiseach has since hit back at Foster’s comments in a speech at the Dáil on Tuesday evening.

Varadkar said: “I would say to any political party in Northern Ireland or indeed on these islands, that we should all respect the Good Friday Agreement, and we should all work as hard as we can to make sure that those institutions are back up and running again.

“I would call on everyone to respect the agreement. To respect the decision of the people of Northern Ireland and Ireland, to embrace that agreement, and to make it work.”

The Taoiseach posted the a video of the speech on Twitter, along with the caption: “The Good Friday Agreement is not up for negotiation in Brexit talks.”

You can watch the video here:

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