DUBLIN — The first minister of Northern Ireland on Monday said US President Donald Trump’s remarks on “Irish unification” reflect that the idea is on the table.”I think it reflects the fact that there is a growing conversation around constitutional change at home in Ireland,” Michelle O’Neill said in an interview with Sky News.Referring to Trump’s weekend remarks, she said this has been reflected in what they have heard in the commentary over the weekend.On Sunday, the US president said that integrating Ireland and Northern Ireland represents “one of the naturals of all time,” suggesting historical partitions should be resolved.The remarks followed comments he made Saturday while in Ireland, when he said he would “love” to see a united Ireland.O’Neill said that the upcoming meeting of Sinn Fein, Plaid Cymru, and SNP reflects that there’s a “whole change in dynamic,” and the “whole political landscape [was] very much changing.”Leaders of the nationalist parties in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales are set to meet in Cardiff later Monday.Earlier, Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out calling a referendum on Irish unification, describing it as “off the table.”O’Neill said in the aftermath of both elections in Scotland and Wales, they have committed to working together as three political parties.”We’re going to sign a memorandum of understanding around how we can cooperate, how we can work together, how we can improve the lives of our people, respectively,” she said.She said the cooperation was ultimately aimed at ensuring the parties had a strong “collective voice” in Westminster on constitutional change.”It’s heard very strongly in Westminster in relation to constitutional change, and for our part in Ireland, it’s about the fulfillment of the Good Friday Agreement itself,” she added.Little-Pengelly, Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister, has accused O’Neill of attempting to “weaponize the role of the first minister”, as she is due to meet her counterparts from Wales and Scotland.In Northern Ireland, the first and deputy first minister have identical powers and responsibilities.Little-Pengelly criticized O’Neill for attending Monday’s talks, saying “she has not sought any agreement or permission from me to travel, attend or sign anything as first minister”.Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd said O’Neill was attending in her role as party deputy leader, adding it was “proper” that parties in favor of greater self-determination work with each other.For the first time since devolution began, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have first ministers who want to leave the United Kingdom.On Sunday, O’Neill confirmed she was meeting SNP leader John Swinney and Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth in Cardiff on Monday.”We’re coming together because we all want to break free of the shackles of Westminster,” she said in a video posted on social media.”We’re coming together at a moment of hope and opportunity for all our people. What we want is self-determination. What we want is to be able to decide our own future, and to bring that into the hands of our people” she said.Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster program, Little-Pengelly said “we need to be very clear” that O’Neill is “meeting in her political role as a member of Sinn Féin, as the leader of Sinn Féin of the north, as she would describe it herself, not on behalf of Northern Ireland, she’s not signing anything on behalf of Northern Ireland”.”It is not a summit of first ministers. She may be first minister, which is of course a joint role along with myself, but she is there absolutely in a Sinn Féin capacity.”Little-Pengelly accused O’Neill of “trying to use the fact that she is also first minister in order to give momentum to the breakup of the union, in order to give momentum to this concept of abolishing Northern Ireland”.”For my part, I will get on with trying to make Northern Ireland work, I will get on with being here, I will be at the assembly today, I will be working hard on all of those issues that I know matter to people in terms of bread and butter issues here,” she said.Earlier in the program, Sinn Féin assembly and Minister for Finance John O’Dowd said “political unionism have always used their roles to promote the union”.”Michelle is there as deputy leader of Sinn Féin, she is joined on that trip with Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Féin, and she’s meeting the leader of the SNP and Plaid Cymru in their capacities as leaders of their parties,” O’Dowd said.
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