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European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier says the peace process in Northern Ireland has to be maintained after Brexit.<\/p>\nEuropean Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier says the peace process in Northern Ireland has to be maintained after Brexit.<\/p>\n
Mr Barnier is on the second of a two day visit to Ireland and has spoken about his desire to avoid a hard border.<\/p>\n
He says there will be no Brexit deal, if there is no deal on this.<\/p>\n
Mr Barnier says the Good Friday Agreement is being taken into account in future plans for the EU: “This week the European Commission will propose the new framework for the future financial prospective…and I can tell you that we are ready to maintain the peace program.”<\/p>\n
Mr Barnier walked the historic walls of Derry and was shown the Bogside area of the city where British soldiers opened fire on Bloody Sunday.<\/p>\n
He was given a whirlwind tour after a meeting with businesses and cross-border groups in the Guildhall.<\/p>\n
A guide walked with Mr Barnier and gave him a brief history of the city, pointing out the Bogside from the top of the city walls.<\/p>\n
Thirteen people died when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in 1972. A 14th person died later.<\/p>\n
All those killed on Bloody Sunday were later pronounced innocent by a public inquiry led by Lord Saville, and then-prime minister David Cameron said the killings were unjustified and unjustifiable.<\/p>\n
Among those in the meeting with Mr Barnier before his short tour, was Dr Malachy O’Neill, Provost of the Magee Campus, Ulster University.<\/p>\n
Dr O’Neill said Mr Barnier was very “forthright”, adding that they had a “very frank open discussion”, which he said was very useful to everyone in the room.<\/p>\n
He said implications for research funding was discussed in the meeting, which lasted about one hour.<\/p>\n
“I think he’s minded to come up with a solution that works best for the unique scenario that we have in this region.<\/p>\n
“We’re as positive as we can be in, I suppose, what’s an overall negative situation,” he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Barnier said he was delighted to be in the “historic and vibrant” city of Derry, and said he had already enjoyed a walk on the Peace Bridge.<\/p>\n