[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 35 (Thursday, March 14, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H2228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HISTORIC PROGRESS TOWARD PEACE IN IRELAND

  (Mr. KING asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous 
material.)
  Mr. KING. Mr. Speaker, during the past 2 years, the people of Ireland 
have made historic progress toward a true and lasting peace. I am a 
cochairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Irish Affairs, along with the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], the gentleman from Massachusetts 
[Mr. Neal], and the gentleman from New York [Mr. Manton].
  The Ad Hoc Committee today is issuing a statement for St. Patrick's 
Day. We are urging that all parties to this process continue on the 
path toward peace. Specifically, we are calling upon the Irish 
Republican Army to immediately recommence the cease-fire. We are 
calling on the British Government to make every good faith effort to 
answer any questions that parties to the conflict have regarding the 
recent communique issued in London.
  We also call for the commencement of all party talks by June 10 
without the imposition of any preconditions by the British Government, 
and we call upon the President to continue his policy of active and 
constructive engagement in the Irish peace process. The people of 
Ireland have come too far to allow recent incidents to deter them on 
their path toward peace.
  Mr. Speaker, on a bipartisan note, which should characterize this 
policy toward Ireland, I commend the President for issuing a visa to 
Gerry Adams to enter this country, and I commend Ambassador Jean 
Kennedy Smith for standing up to the Anglophiles in the State 
Department.
  Mr. Speaker, I include our committee statement for the Record, as 
follows:

  Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, St. Patrick's Day 
                        Message, March 14, 1996

       We, the members of the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on 
     Irish Affairs, ask all Americans to join with us in praying 
     for peace in Ireland as we celebrate this Saint Patrick's 
     Day.
       The people of Ireland have worked too hard, and come too 
     far on the road to peace to abandon the remarkable progress 
     made in the past two years. The people of the United States--
     of Irish descent and otherwise--have shared in the joy of the 
     Irish people at the significant steps forward just as we 
     share in their disappointment and despair at recent setbacks.
       To avoid squandering the hard-won gains toward a just and 
     lasting peace for all Ireland, the government of the United 
     States must remain engaged in the Irish peace process, both 
     as an honest broker and as a guarantor of the equity of that 
     process in ensuring that the legitimate aspirations of all 
     parties to the conflict are fully represented. With this goal 
     in mind, the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs:
       Deplores the recent return to violence by the Irish 
     Republican Army, and urges the IRA to reinstate the ceasefire 
     immediately;
       Calls on the British government to make every good faith 
     effort to provide to all concerned political parties explicit 
     clarification of any provisions of the recent joint 
     communique by Prime Minister John Major and Taoiseach John 
     Bruton;
       Calls for the commencement of meaningful all-party talks by 
     June 10th, without the imposition of any preconditions by the 
     British government; and
       Calls upon the President of the United States to continue 
     his policy of active and constructive engagement in fostering 
     the Irish peace process.
       The 104th Congress has worked in bipartisan cooperation to 
     support the Irish peace process. In addition, we have made 
     substantial progress in addressing one of the root causes of 
     the problems in the north of Ireland by moving closer to the 
     historic passage of the MacBride fair employment principles 
     as part of our contribution to the International Fund for 
     Ireland.
       We, the Members of the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on 
     Irish Affairs, are committed to ensuring that the United 
     States continues to use its influence as a force for positive 
     change in Ireland.
     Ben Gilman,
                                                       Cochairman.
     Richard Neal,
                                                       Cochairman.
     Tom Manton,
                                                       Cochairman.
     Pete King,
     Cochairman.

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