[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 13, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H2455-H2457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF THE HOUSE FOR THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 222) expressing the support of the House of
Representatives for the Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10,
1998, as a blueprint for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 222
Whereas the Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10,
1998, sets out a plan for the creation of the Northern
Ireland Assembly, and a devolved government in Northern
Ireland on a stable and inclusive basis;
Whereas the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive have
been suspended since 2002;
Whereas the St. Andrews Agreement of October 2006
established a timetable for the restoration of a power-
sharing government in Northern Ireland;
Whereas the St. Andrews Agreement required that ``support
for policing and the rule of law should be extended to every
part of the community'';
Whereas on January 28, 2007, Sinn Fein held a party
conference during which it declared its support for the
Police Service of Northern Ireland and the criminal justice
system, consistent with the terms of the St. Andrews
Agreement;
Whereas British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern stated on January 30, 2007, that ``We
remain fixed in our determination to see shared government
returned to the people of Northern Ireland.'';
Whereas British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for
elections in Northern Ireland to take place on March 7, 2007,
in adherence to the timeline established in the St. Andrews
Agreement; and
Whereas the St. Andrews Agreement set a deadline of March
26, 2007, for devolved government to be restored to Northern
Ireland: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) the House of Representatives--
(A) reiterates its support for the Good Friday Agreement,
signed on April 10, 1998, in Belfast, as a blueprint for a
lasting peace in Northern Ireland;
(B) declares its support for the St. Andrews Agreement of
October 2006;
(C) commends British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern for their leadership and persistence
in seeking a peaceful resolution in Northern Ireland; and
(D) commends all parties for abiding by the terms agreed to
in the St. Andrews Agreement; and
(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that
all political parties in Northern Ireland should--
[[Page H2456]]
(A) agree to share power with all parties according to the
democratic mandate of the Good Friday Agreement;
(B) meet all deadlines established by the St. Andrews
Agreement; and
(C) commit to work in good faith with all the institutions
of the Good Friday Agreement, which established the Northern
Ireland Assembly and an inclusive Executive, the North-South
Ministerial Council, and the British-Irish Inter-Governmental
Conference, for the benefit of all the people of Northern
Ireland.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Wexler) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration, as well as
H. Res. 228.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution,
and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank my good friend and
colleague, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of New York, who has been a
passionate and tireless advocate for peace and justice in Northern
Ireland throughout her distinguished career in Congress.
Over the past several years, the peace process in Northern Ireland
has taken many twists and turns. The Good Friday Agreement, designed to
bring an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland, has been declared
dead time and again. The Northern Ireland Assembly and the Executive
established by the Good Friday Agreement have been suspended since
2002.
During the past few months, however, we have witnessed incredibly
promising developments in our efforts to fully implement the Good
Friday Agreement, which was signed almost 9 years ago on April 10,
1998.
The St. Andrews Agreement of October 2006 established a firm
timetable for the restoration of the government in Northern Ireland. In
the agreement itself and in subsequent declarations, both sides of the
conflict committed themselves to the rule of law, effective policing,
and a strong criminal justice system. Most importantly, the elections
called for by the St. Andrews Agreement were carried out successfully
just last week.
Now the hard work begins, Mr. Speaker. Over the next 2 weeks,
Northern Ireland's political parties must agree to share power
according to the democratic mandate of the Good Friday Agreement. A
failure to reach a power sharing deal will lead to the dissolution of
the Northern Ireland Assembly, a development which would be profoundly
damaging to the long-term prospects for peace in Northern Ireland. With
passage of this resolution, Congress urges Northern Ireland's political
leaders to make the tough compromises necessary to bring about a power
sharing arrangement. With such a deal, the great promise of the Good
Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement can come to fruition.
The resolution before the House is designed to support the forward
movement towards peace and to help pave the way to a time when the
conflict in Northern Ireland is only a subject for the history books.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this timely resolution, and reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Since 1969, over 3,200 people have died as a result of political
violence in Northern Ireland. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement lessened
the violence in Northern Ireland considerably, making it a safer place
to live and allowing its beleaguered economy to prosper.
While these developments are positive steps forward, political
differences between the opposing sides of this conflict led to a
stalemate, which in 2002 persuaded the Blair government to suspend the
Belfast Northern Ireland Assembly and shift power to direct rule from
London. Events have now presented an opportunity to move forward.
Last week, a new Northern Ireland Assembly was elected, and at the
end of this month, if an administration is formed, rule from
Westminster will cease, with Northern Ireland assuming the reins of
power for its own self-government.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in expressing his fondest hopes
for the success of the Good Friday accords, has stated, ``Enemies would
become not just partners in progress but sit together in government,
and paramilitaries who used to murder each other as a matter of routine
would talk to each other and learn to live with each other.''
Mr. Speaker, these are noble and lofty goals. While no one thought
that they would be easy to achieve and many challenges have arisen,
combat is now taking place in the political sphere rather than through
violent means. Inch by inch, day by day, with focused determination,
success is finally emerging.
Mr. Speaker, ours is a significant voice in the global community that
must be raised in support of the progress that has already been
achieved, and in calling for further efforts to achieve the goals of
the Good Friday Agreement.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. McCarthy), who is the sponsor of this resolution.
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Subcommittee
Chairman Wexler and Ranking Member Poe.
As the author of H.R. 222, I rise in support, as all of the members
of the Friends of Ireland Caucus do.
This month, the peace process of Northern Ireland has an opportunity
to make great strides. Several significant events are taking place this
month. On March 7, new assembly elections were held. On March 14, new
members for a power-sharing executive will be nominated. And, finally,
on March 26, London will rescind direct rule and restore Northern
Ireland's devolved government.
It has been a long road to get to this point, but restored progress
has been made. Recently, Democratic Unionist Party leader Mr. Paisley,
and Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams spoke directly across the floor on the
Northern Ireland Assembly. Some people will say this was a small
matter. For those of us that have been involved in this issue, it was a
great stand.
This dialogue is a major achievement in the ongoing peace process.
However, there is still much work to be done, and this month is
critical to ensure a successful devolution on March 26.
President Bush's Special Envoy on Northern Ireland has recognized the
importance of this month's events and the need for Congress to help
galvanize the momentum to achieve the March 26 deadline.
Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell believes a power sharing deal in
Northern Ireland is now possible, following the March 7 assembly
elections, but believes the U.S. still has a huge role to play in
stimulating the investment and the trade in Northern Ireland.
With that in mind, I have introduced the Good Friday Agreement. This
resolution shows Congress' support for the Good Friday Agreement,
commends the efforts of Prime Minister Blair and Irish Taoiseach Ahern
and all the parties for abiding by the St. Andrews Agreement. H. Res.
222 further encourages the parties to work in good faith to meet the
Good Friday Agreement.
Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to make a difference in Ireland
by helping to make sure that we keep this momentum going. But I think,
more important, when we see the troubles throughout the world today,
Ireland has always been something that many of us here in Congress have
been fighting for to bring both sides together. The people of Ireland
want this peace process to go through. It is good for the whole nation.
We here in Congress will be going as an envoy to Ireland during the
Easter break, hopefully to be congratulating everybody and telling them
we will do whatever we can to make sure the government stays up and
running. But, more importantly, it is the people of Ireland that have
overwhelmingly on both sides said, ``We want the peace process to go
forward.''
[[Page H2457]]
I urge my colleagues to vote for peace in Northern Ireland and
support H. Res. 222.
Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Wexler of the European
Subcommittee for leading the discussion, and also Representative
McCarthy from New York for sponsoring this legislation. We have no
further speakers.
Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, nearly nine years ago, the
people of Northern Ireland took a great step forward into building a
lasting peace. The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, set forth a
plan for establishing a peaceful civil government for both Catholics
and Protestants.
Today, we are close to ending an enmity that stretches back across
centuries. With the establishment of an assembly there will be a
substantial forum for the people of Northern Ireland to sort through
their difference peacefully.
The years of calm since the signing of the agreement have seen
developments that seemed nearly impossible decades ago. The acceptance
of the Police Service of Northern Ireland by Sinn Fein in January of
this year marked one ofthe last hurdles to the full implementation of
the agreement. With one neutral force to fairly administer the law, the
people of Northern Ireland can stop seeing the police as adversaries
and instead see them as guardians of the peace, as it should be.
It is now critical that a final agreement be put in place so that the
assembly can continue to meet and lead the people of Northern Ireland.
Now that the IRA, as confirmed by third-party observers, has
decommissioned its weapons, it is time for the Democratic Unionists to
come together to rule in cooperation with Sinn Fein.
With so much progress made it would be a great shame to see the
dissolution of a body freely elected by the people of Northern Ireland.
This Congress supports blueprint for peace signed nearly a decade ago
and wishes to see last democracy and tranquility in Ireland.
Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I too want to thank Mr. Poe. And we also do
not have any more speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 222.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
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