Congress members urge Tillerson not to abolish post of NI envoy

More than two dozen members of the US Congress have written to the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, urging him to reverse the decision to abolish the post of special envoy to Northern Ireland.

The intervention by the bipartisan group follows a decision by the US state department to abolish the post as part of a broader shake-up of the United States’ diplomatic service.

The letter, signed by at least 25 members of congress, calls on the Trump administration to reconsider its position, noting that “the nearly 40 million Americans of Irish descent have begun to speak out on this issue”.

It states that “by any standard, the signing of the Good Friday agreement in 1998 represents one of America’s most successful foreign policy accomplishments in recent memory”.

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Brexit threat

The letter, which has been signed by at least five Republicans as well as Democratic members of Congress, also highlights the threat Brexit poses to the Belfast Agreement.

It is understood efforts are under way for a cross-party group of US politicians to visit Northern Ireland as early as next month as the issue of Brexit and its implications for Northern Ireland begins to gain ground in the US.

The first US special envoy to Northern Ireland, Senator George Mitchell, was appointed in 1995. Successive appointees, including Richard Haass and Gary Hart, have played a central role in maintaining the peace process.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said he would like to see an envoy to Northern Ireland maintained.