REUTERS/Brendan McDermidUNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Britain wants to reach an agreement with the European Union to solve post-Brexit trade to Northern Ireland issues quickly, foreign minister James Cleverly said on Thursday, suggesting a softer approach to what has been an intractable dispute. The stand-off over part of the Brexit agreement which governs trade with Northern Ireland is by far the biggest strain between the EU and Britain, which became the first country to leave the bloc on Jan. 31, 2020. A major irritant is Britain's so-called Northern Ireland Protocol bill, which effectively tears up parts of the Brexit divorce deal. Both sides agreed to the Northern Ireland protocol as a way to avoid reinstating border controls between the British-run province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Britain left the EU, seen as key to protecting peace on the island. But Britain has since accused Brussels of a heavy-handed approach to moving goods between Britain and Northern Ireland, with pro-British communities in the province saying it erodes their place in the United Kingdom.

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