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| - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Northern Ireland on Friday, where he was snubbed by one regional leader and faced criticism from another, as tensions grow over the province's post-Brexit status. Northern Irish First Minister Arlene Foster met Johnson and urged him to undo "intolerable" new arrangements governing trade in and out of the region introduced in January. Meanwhile her deputy Michelle O'Neill, from Irish republican party Sinn Fein, refused to join the welcoming delegation, citing the British leader's "reckless and partisan" Brexit strategy. Britain officially left the European Union last year and in January the so-called Northern Ireland protocol came into effect, imposing unique trading terms on Northern Ireland. The deal aims to preserve the fragile peace in the territory of around two million people by preventing a hard border with EU member Ireland, a flashpoint in three decades of sectarian conflict which ended in 1998. The protocol removes the need for a customs and regulations checks on the border with Ireland, by shifting checkpoints for goods arriving from mainland Britain to Northern Irish ports. However there is rising discontent amongst pro-British factions in Northern Ireland, who feel it is severing bonds between the province and the rest of the UK by introducing trade barriers. Meanwhile, Johnson's government has already been twice accused of attempting to unilaterally override some of the protocol's key elements, prompting threats of legal action from Brussels. O'Neill said she and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald had a "long-standing request to meet with the British prime minister" to discuss the situation. But she added after the demand for a three-way meeting was denied, O'Neill refused to meet him at all. "I have no plans to meet with him today," she said. Foster, leader of the pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), reiterated its opposition to the protocol Friday, saying the new arrangements have "created societal division and economic harm". "We need a permanent solution so business can plan and the integrity of the United Kingdom internal market can be restored," she added, after joining Johnson on a tour of a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Enniskillen. Since the protocol came into effect senior police have warned that a "febrile" atmosphere has begun to brew in Northern Ireland. Last month, threats against staff enforcing new protocol checkpoints caused the EU and the regional government to pull workers out of the ports of Belfast and Larne. The episode evoked dark memories of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, when unionists and republicans turned to violence over the fate of the region. Around 3,500 were killed by bombs and bullets traded between warring paramilitaries and British security forces during 30 years of conflict. Ahead of Johnson's visit, plans were also unveiled to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland's creation, after the Republic of Ireland became independent from British rule in 1921. Johnson said the creation of the province "paved the way for the formation of the UK as we know it". However division reigns on that issue too. Republicans who believe Northern Ireland was unjustly "partitioned" from Ireland are unlikely to celebrate the anniversary. jts/jj/har
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