The enemies of peace will not prevail...

Biden's historic Belfast speech

- DAVE BURKE and SOPHIE HUSKISSON

JOE Biden has urged Northern Ireland's leaders to end the political deadlock and thwart the enemies of peace.

During a historic address in Belfast yesterday, the US President marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

But he said the response to a gun attack on a senior police officer by dissident republicans shows the "enemies of peace will not prevail".

At the new Ulster University campus, which opened last autumn, he said: "Northern Ireland will not go back, pray God. The attack was a hard reminder there will always be those who seek to destroy, rather than rebuild.

"But the lesson of the Good Friday Agreement is this at times when things seem fragile or easily broken, that is when hope and hard work are needed the most."