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President Biden meeting has 'not changed Stormont dynamic' - DUP

President Biden's conversations with NI political parties has not changed the Stormont dynamic, according to the DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

The US President held conversations with the parties on Wednesday as part of his engagements while in Belfast.

"I had a brief conversation with the President and he made clear that it’s not his job, as we heard in his speech, to take decisions for political leaders in Northern Ireland," Sir Jeffrey said.

Read more: Former DUP leader Arlene Foster says US president Joe Biden 'hates' the UK

"But the United States stands ready to support Northern Ireland in whatever way it can.

"So I welcome his visit here today, it’s good to see the president coming and we hope to see investment into Northern Ireland flowing from his efforts and those of his special envoy (Joe Kennedy)."

Commenting on the presidential visit, Sir Jeffrey added: "Well, it doesn’t change the political dynamic in Northern Ireland, we know what needs to happen.

"And I’ll be meeting my team over the next few days and we’ll be going back to the (UK) Government.

"We believe the Government needs to go further in terms of protecting Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom and our ability to trade within the UK internal market and that’s what needs to happen now to enable us to move towards the restoration of the political institutions, we need the Government to deliver what they’ve said they will do, which is to protect our place in the United Kingdom."

Asked if he believed Joe Biden was “anti-British”, Sir Jeffrey said: "I welcome his reference today to the Ulster Scots who made such an enormous contribution to the building of the United States of America.

"I think that is an indication, an acknowledgement from the President of the United States of the very special contribution that Northern Ireland has made to the building of his country.

"And his reference also to his own British ancestry, I think indicates hopefully that we have a president that recognises the United Kingdom is a close ally and friend of the United States."

However, not all members of the DUP were happy with President Biden, with MP Sammy Wilson saying his party will "not be bought" as he was asked about the presidential visit.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme, the MP for East Antrim claimed: "On one hand he says he’s here to help the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement, on the other hand he has done his best to undermine the Good Friday Agreement and its institutions and indeed his backing of the EU against the UK Government, trying to force UK Government into a corner to accept EU interference in Northern Ireland has not helped the process and has led to the collapse of the institutions."

Mr Wilson suggested: "He has been right throughout the Brexit negotiations and the Protocol negotiations he has been pushing the UK Government to concede to the demands of the EU i.e. that they should have control of laws in Northern Ireland and unfortunately our Prime Minister in pursuit of some trade deal with America has conceded."

He went on: "No amount of American money is going to persuade us to sign up to an arrangement which even the Windsor Framework agrees will lead to greater divergence between Northern Ireland and the country to which we belong, the UK and we’re not going to do that and we’ll not be bought and we’ll certainly not be bullied."

President Biden spoke at Ulster University's campus in Belfast city centre on Wednesday, where he called for a return of power sharing in Northern Ireland.

He called the Good Friday Agreement arrangements "critical to the future of Northern Ireland" but said it was not his decision to make on the way forward.

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