[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 46 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3528-S3529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      ACKNOWLEDGING THE HISTORIC NORTHERN IRELAND PEACE AGREEMENT

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 90.
  The Senate continued with the consideration of the concurrent 
resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the concurrent 
resolution. The yeas and nays have been ordered. The clerk will call 
the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. NICKLES. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. McCain), 
the Senator from Utah (Mr. Bennett), and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. 
Brownback) are necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 97, nays 0, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 103 Leg.]

                                YEAS--97

     Abraham
     Akaka
     Allard
     Ashcroft
     Baucus
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Bryan
     Bumpers
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Chafee
     Cleland
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Conrad
     Coverdell
     Craig
     D'Amato
     Daschle
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Faircloth
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Ford
     Frist
     Glenn
     Gorton
     Graham
     Gramm
     Grams
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Helms
     Hollings
     Hutchinson
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kempthorne
     Kennedy
     Kerrey
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lott
     Lugar
     Mack
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Moseley-Braun
     Moynihan
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nickles
     Reed
     Reid
     Robb
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Roth
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith (NH)
     Smith (OR)
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stevens
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thurmond
     Torricelli
     Warner
     Wellstone
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Bennett
     Brownback
     McCain
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 90) was agreed to.

[[Page S3529]]

  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 90

       Whereas the people of Ireland have experienced civil 
     conflict throughout their history with the latest phase, 
     known as The Troubles, ongoing for the last thirty years;
       Whereas this tragic history has cost the lives of thousands 
     of men, women, and children, and has left a deep and profound 
     legacy of suffering;
       Whereas the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the 
     United Kingdom have endeavored for many years to facilitate a 
     peaceful resolution to the conflict in Northern Ireland; and 
     such efforts, including the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement, the 
     1993 Joint Declaration, and the 1995 New Framework for 
     Agreement, were important milestones in guiding the parties 
     toward a political agreement;
       Whereas the announced cessation of armed hostilities in 
     1994 by the Irish Republican Army and the Combined Loyalist 
     Military Command created the opportunity for all-inclusive 
     political discussions to occur;
       Whereas representatives from Northern Ireland's political 
     parties, pledging to adhere to the principles of non-
     violence, commenced all-party talks in June 1996, and those 
     talks greatly intensified in the Spring of 1998 under the 
     chairmanship of former United States Senator George Mitchell;
       Whereas the active participation of British Prime Minister 
     Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was indispensable 
     to the success of negotiations;
       Whereas the support and encouragement for the Northern 
     Ireland peace process by President Clinton, on behalf of the 
     United States, was also an important factor in the success of 
     the negotiations;
       Whereas on April 10, 1998, the political parties, together 
     with the British and Irish Governments successfully concluded 
     the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement;
       Whereas people throughout the island will have an 
     opportunity to approve or reject the final agreement during 
     the May 22 referendums;
       Whereas the British and Irish Governments have committed to 
     making the necessary constitutional and other legal changes 
     necessary to bring the agreement into effect after the 
     referendum approval processes have been concluded: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), that it is the sense of the Congress that--
       (1) All of the participants in the negotiation deserve 
     congratulations for their willingness to make honorable 
     compromises in order to reach an agreement that promises to 
     end the tragic cycle of violence that has dominated Northern 
     Ireland for decades;
       (2) Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern 
     deserve particular credit for their leadership and constant 
     encouragement in support of the peace process;
       (3) The American people can be especially proud of the 
     contributions made by the United States in the quest for 
     peace, including President Clinton's vision and determination 
     to achieve peace in Northern Ireland and his personal 
     commitment to remain an active supporter throughout the 
     process;
       (4) All friends of Ireland owe a lasting debt of gratitude 
     to Senator George Mitchell for his dedication, courage, 
     leadership, and wisdom in guiding the peace talks to a 
     successful conclusion.

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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