[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 777 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 777

Strongly reaffirming support for the Good Friday Agreement, urging the 
 British and Irish Governments to vigorously implement certain aspects 
   of the Agreement, and urging the Secretary of State to appoint a 
  Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and to continue to promote full 
                    implementation of the Agreement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2018

Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Neal, 
    and Mr. McGovern) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Strongly reaffirming support for the Good Friday Agreement, urging the 
 British and Irish Governments to vigorously implement certain aspects 
   of the Agreement, and urging the Secretary of State to appoint a 
  Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and to continue to promote full 
                    implementation of the Agreement.

Whereas the Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, by the British and 
        Irish Governments and the political parties of Northern Ireland, 
        provided a comprehensive framework for the political settlement of a 
        long-standing and violent conflict between different national, cultural, 
        and religious identities in Northern Ireland;
Whereas at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement was the principle of consent, 
        whereby any future change to the status of Northern Ireland can only 
        come about with the consent of the majority of its people;
Whereas in the Good Friday Agreement, the British and Irish Governments agreed 
        to recognize the legitimacy of Northern Ireland as part of the United 
        Kingdom and to conditions in and procedures by which that could be 
        changed in the future;
Whereas in the Good Friday Agreement, the political parties of Northern Ireland, 
        together with the British and Irish Governments, agreed on Northern 
        Ireland Government structures, decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, 
        British demilitarization, the release of prisoners, and implemented 
        these aspects of the Agreement;
Whereas implementation of aspects of the Agreement concerning devolution of 
        authority, reform of policing, dealing with the past, and addressing the 
        suffering of victims has proven more difficult;
Whereas Northern Ireland has not been under direct rule from London since May 
        2007, yet the devolved Government has frequently been unable to 
        constitute itself or function, including since January 2017;
Whereas the implementation of police reform, made necessary by the involvement 
        of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in abusive policing practices, 
        continues to be marked by disagreement over whether elements of the 
        security services opposed to the peace process improperly influence the 
        new Police Service of Northern Ireland, and the relative proportion of 
        officers from the Catholic and Protestant communities;
Whereas the Good Friday Agreement provided that ``it is essential to acknowledge 
        and address the suffering of the victims of violence as a necessary 
        element of reconciliation'';
Whereas the task of dealing with the past, including providing accountability 
        for past violence and abuses, has been advanced by the Commission for 
        Victims and Survivors, the Historical Enquiries Team, the Police 
        Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, and the Saville Inquiry on Bloody 
        Sunday, which have brought some measure of truth and closure to many 
        victims and surviving family members;
Whereas many other conflict-related deaths, injuries, and abuses have not been 
        adequately dealt with, and further progress in dealing with the past has 
        been impeded by the insistence of the British Government on retaining 
        national-security exemptions to the investigation and adjudication 
        process;
Whereas in the Good Friday Agreement the British and Irish Governments bound 
        themselves ``to support, and where appropriate implement'' the Multi-
        Party Agreement between the political parties of Northern Ireland;
Whereas the United Kingdom's negotiations to exit the European Union have 
        created much uncertainty and concern on all sides as to how this would 
        affect Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement;
Whereas the British Government bound itself, in the Implementation Plan issued 
        by the British and Irish Governments on August 1, 2001, to establish a 
        judicial inquiry into collusion in the murder by paramilitaries of human 
        rights lawyer Patrick Finucane;
Whereas a public inquiry into Patrick Finucane's murder has yet to occur despite 
        the conclusion in a 2012 British Government report that ``a series of 
        positive actions by employees of the State actively furthered and 
        facilitated murder and that, in the aftermath of the murder, there was a 
        relentless attempt to defeat the ends of justice'';
Whereas the House of Representatives has repeatedly called on the British 
        Government to establish a full, independent, and public judicial inquiry 
        into the murder of Patrick Finucane, in H.Con.Res. 102 (105th Congress), 
        H.Res. 128 (106th Congress), H.Res. 740 (109th Congress), and H.Con.Res. 
        20 (110th Congress);
Whereas the United States Government played a facilitating role during the 
        negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement, and, since the signing of the 
        Agreement in 1998, has played a supportive role which has been welcomed 
        by both the British and Irish Governments; and
Whereas the United States Government established the position of Special Envoy 
        for Northern Ireland in 1995, which position has been filled with 
        distinction by George Mitchell, Richard Haass, Mitchell Reiss, Paula 
        Dobriansky, Declan Kelly, and Gary Hart, and proved itself useful in 
        supporting the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and Northern 
        Ireland peace process: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) strongly reaffirms its support for the Good Friday 
        Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, in Belfast, as a blueprint 
        for sustainable peace in Northern Ireland;
            (2) commends the British and Irish Governments and the 
        parties of Northern Ireland for many aspects of the 
        implementation of the Agreement, including decommissioning, 
        demilitarization, and prisoner releases;
            (3) expresses concern about ongoing failings and crises 
        with regard to certain aspects of the implementation of the 
        Agreement, particularly devolved government, police reforms, 
        and accountability for past abuses, including failure to 
        implement the Stormont House Agreement of 2014, as well as the 
        British Government's failure to fully address collusion in 
        paramilitary crimes;
            (4) urges the British and Irish Governments to support and 
        implement the Good Friday Agreement as the irrevocable 
        foundation of the peace process regardless of the United 
        Kingdom's status regarding the European Union;
            (5) continues to call on the British Government to 
        establish a full, independent, and public judicial inquiry into 
        the murder of Patrick Finucane; and
            (6) urges the Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy 
        for Northern Ireland and to promote full implementation of the 
        Good Friday Agreement.
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