[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF THE HOUSE FOR THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 13, 2007

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the ideals of 
the Good Friday Agreement, and to celebrate the efforts of the English 
and Irish governments to create a more peaceful and prosperous Ireland.
  Signed on Good Friday in 1998, the Agreement marked a watershed 
moment in the history of Eire's glorious but at times tumultuous 
history, and laid out specific provisions and benchmarks for all 
involved parties. The Agreement created programs and transgovernmental 
institutions to engender dialogue across borders and parties; 
deconstructed obstructionist legislation on both sides of the English 
Channel; reformed security and law enforcement institutions; and set 
timetables for disarmament.
  More than just an accord between governments, the Agreement signaled 
a new commitment to the life and liberty of the Irish people. The 
Agreement established new civil and human rights standards; ensured the 
dignity of all communities by promising new cultural and economic 
standards; and aspired to create relationships based on principles of 
peace and nonviolent conflict resolution.
  The electorate, and indeed the world, has responded in kind. The Good 
Friday Agreement was embraced by citizens in the Republic of Ireland as 
well as Northern Ireland. National governments around the world have 
applauded the efforts to create a lasting peace, and local governments 
throughout the United States have enacted resolutions in support of the 
Good Friday Agreement. I applaud the City of Cleveland for their 
support of Peace in Ireland, and I am hopeful that one day we will look 
back on the Good Friday Agreement, having reached our destination of a 
peaceful Ireland with a thriving population united in their efforts to 
cultivate that peace.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the pursuit of 
a lasting peace in Ireland. It is my eternal hope we one day may have a 
response to William Butler Yeats' pained question: ``Too long a 
sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. O when may it suffice?''

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