London [UK], September 13: Donald Trump triggered a diplomatic row as he backed a united Ireland on a visit to Dublin on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters, the US president claimed Irish reunification as inevitable, adding it "may as well happen now."
His comments brought a stern rebuke from the Conservatives in the United Kingdom while the prime minister's office at 10 Downing Street pointed to Andy Burnham's rejection of an immediate border poll earlier in the week. Answering a question from the Press Association, Trump said: "I'd love to see it unified. I think it would be a great feather in everybody's cap if that happened. It's going to happen eventually."
Referencing Taoiseach Micheal Martin sitting next to him, Trump added: "We're talking about it and you got the right man over here to get it moving.
"But, yeah, I think it would be a fantastic thing. Now the UK will have something to say about it, obviously. But I think it would be a great thing. I mean, how can it be bad?" The comments are likely to further strain relations between the United States and the United Kingdom, with Trump also casting doubt on Britain's ability to defend the Falkland Islands during the visit.
On Wednesday, Burnham told members of parliament (MPs) that a border poll would only be considered when there was "a clear consensus in the country."
Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart said Trump was "very wrong," adding Northern Ireland was "an integral part" of the UK. The row could also complicate Washington's relations with Northern Irish parties. While Sinn Fein has boycotted the annual St Patrick's Day visit to Washington over Trump's Middle East policy, leading unionist parties the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) have continued to engage with the president.
In response to his comments, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Northern Ireland's future would be decided by its people, not "commentary in London, Dublin or Washington."
He added: "As unionists, we are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic."
Right-wing Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister said Trump was "not the first US president to meddle in the affairs which don't concern him," adding: "Northern Ireland is not a pawn in Trump's fallout with the UK."
Source: Qatar Tribune