SINN FÉIN LEADER Gerry Adams has congratulated Donald Trump on his election as US president.
Adams is currently in the US and last night spoke at the annual dinner of campaign and fundraising group Friends of Sinn Féin.
The group posted a statement from Adams on its Facebook page following the election of Trump on Tuesday.
“The people of the USA have spoken,” Adams said.
Donald Trump had been elected as the 45th President of the USA. I congratulate him. The onus is on the President-elect to represent all the people of the USA and to play a positive and progressive role in world affairs.
During his speech last night, Adams also made reference to the election of Trump, noting “division” within US society.
“This is a great country. It gave many of you and your families opportunities you were denied at home. Of course, like all human societies, there are many contradictions and divisions, conflicts and complexities,” Adams said.
Adams went on to say that one of Trump’s greatest challenges will be to “play a positive and progressive role in world affairs”
“That includes Ireland,” he added.
Adams and Trump previously met in 1995 when Adams visited New York following the IRA’s ceasefire.
At the dinner last night, Adams also told the US-based Sinn Féin supporters that Brexit represents an “opportunity” for those who work towards a united Ireland.
“Brexit will reshape arrangements and relationships between Ireland and Britain and between us and the European Union. Our task must be to ensure that any new arrangements on the island of Ireland are to the mutual benefit of everyone who lives here,” Adams said.
This means that the Irish government must uphold the vote of the people in the North who have refused to give their consent to be taken out of the EU by London.
Adams also said that the Irish government was not “working towards Irish unity” and accused both the media and policy makers of “partitionist thinking”.
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