In a statement to The Irish Times on Wednesday evening, Ms Pelosi said Britain must “respect the Northern Ireland Protocol as signed with the EU to ensure the free flow of goods across the Border.”
“The Good Friday Agreement is the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and an inspiration for the whole world,” she said.
“Whatever form it takes, Brexit cannot be allowed to imperil the Good Friday Agreement, including the stability brought by the invisible and frictionless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.”
The intervention by Ms Pelosi, the top Democrat in the US Congress, is likely to increase pressure on the British government over its controversial decision to row back on parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement it agreed with the European Union last year.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, Taoiseach Micheál Martin spoke to British prime minister Boris Johnson by telephone to express concern about the threat to break international law in the implementation of the Brexit treaty.
"Micheal Martin spoke to PM Johnson and set out in forthright terms his concerns about latest developments in London on Brexit, including the breach of an international treaty, the absence of bilateral engagement and the serious implications for Northern Ireland," a UK government spokesman said.
“He stressed to the prime minister that the UK government should re-engage with EU negotiators urgently.” – Additional reporting: Reuters
