[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 58 (Thursday, March 30, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1107-S1108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 157--COMMEMORATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
      SIGNING OF THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. 
Coons, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Welch, Mr. King, Mr. 
Durbin, Mr. Markey, Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Schumer) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                              S. Res. 157

       Whereas, 25 years ago, on April 10, 1998, the Government of 
     Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom signed the 
     Good Friday Agreement, also known as the ``Belfast 
     Agreement'', giving birth to a new era of peace in Northern 
     Ireland;
       Whereas former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, 
     Jr. of Maine, was appointed by President William J. Clinton 
     to be United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and 
     chaired the peace negotiations, which produced the Good 
     Friday Agreement, marking the end of decades of conflict in 
     Northern Ireland;
       Whereas the Good Friday Agreement stands as a historic and 
     groundbreaking success that remains critical to peace in the 
     future;
       Whereas the goals of the Good Friday Agreement remain to 
     bring a new era of devolved government and democracy to 
     Northern Ireland, end violence, and ensure enduring peace and 
     stability for the people of the island of Ireland;
       Whereas a restored, fully functioning, Northern Ireland 
     Assembly and Executive are essential to the facilitation of 
     new opportunities and prosperity for the people of Northern 
     Ireland;
       Whereas Congress continues to support the full 
     implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent 
     implementation agreements and arrangements in order to 
     support peace on the island of Ireland;
       Whereas the new Windsor Framework, agreed in principle on 
     February 27, 2023, by the United Kingdom and the European 
     Union, will help ensure trade within the United Kingdom 
     remains smooth, while protecting Northern Ireland's place in 
     the United Kingdom and safeguarding its sovereignty as well 
     as maintaining an open border on the island of Ireland and 
     protecting the integrity of the European Union's single 
     market;
       Whereas, despite the historic progress in implementing the 
     Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, including 
     the Stormont House Agreement agreed to in December 2014, 
     important issues remain unresolved in Northern Ireland, 
     including the passage of a bill of rights, securing justice 
     for all victims of violence, including violence by state and 
     nonstate actors, and reducing sectarian divisions and 
     promoting reconciliation;
       Whereas the Good Friday Agreement (``Rights, Safeguards and 
     Equality of Opportunity'') recognizes ``the importance of 
     respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to 
     linguistic diversity,'' and, in 2022, the United Kingdom 
     Parliament passed the Identity and Language (Northern 
     Ireland) Act providing for the official recognition of the 
     status of the Irish language in Northern Ireland, and for the 
     appointment of an Irish Language Commissioner and a 
     Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British 
     Tradition;
       Whereas Congress played a prominent role in support of 
     negotiations of the Good Friday Agreement and has taken a 
     leading role in promoting peace on the island of Ireland more 
     broadly;
       Whereas Congress stands steadfastly committed to supporting 
     the peaceful resolution of any and all political challenges 
     in Northern Ireland; and
       Whereas the United States has a special relationship with 
     the United Kingdom, including partnership on diplomatic, 
     security, trade, economic, and foreign assistance issues: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the 25th anniversary of the signing of the 
     Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998, and celebrates the 
     historic compromise that marked the beginning of a new era of 
     peaceful political engagement in Northern Ireland;
       (2) welcomes the Windsor Framework agreement between the 
     United Kingdom and the European Union, and urges all parties 
     to continue to support peace on the island of Ireland and the 
     principles, objectives, and commitments of the Good Friday 
     Agreement,
       (3) urges all parties in Northern Ireland to recommit 
     urgently to power-sharing and restoration of a fully 
     functioning Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive;
       (4) expresses support for the full implementation of the 
     Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, including 
     the Windsor Framework;
       (5) urges all parties in Northern Ireland to work 
     collectively to ensure the implementation of all commitments 
     of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements so 
     that all of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement can 
     operate successfully and sustainably and that ongoing 
     political challenges can be overcome;
       (6) urges the United Kingdom Parliament and the European 
     Union to support and implement in good faith the new Windsor 
     Framework in order to ensure trade continues to flow smoothly 
     within the United Kingdom and maintain an open border on the 
     island of Ireland, while protecting the European Union's 
     single market;

[[Page S1108]]

       (7) supports the passage of a bill of rights for Northern 
     Ireland and the principle of consent in relation to the right 
     of self-determination for all the people on the island of 
     Ireland, in line with the provisions of the Good Friday 
     Agreement;
       (8) calls for continuing attention and action to resolve 
     the injustices of past violence, including violence by state 
     and nonstate actors;
       (9) observes that victims, survivors, and family members of 
     victims of Troubles-era violence must be able to fully pursue 
     justice;
       (10) encourages renewed attention to educational and 
     cultural efforts that will ensure the rich language, 
     literature, and arts of Northern Ireland endure and are not 
     diminished, in line with the Good Friday Agreement 
     commitments on ``Rights, Safeguards and Equality of 
     Opportunity'';
       (11) expresses support for the new Windsor Framework, part 
     of the European Union-United Kingdom Withdrawal Agreement, 
     which ensures through international agreement that no ``hard 
     border'' will be reintroduced on the island of Ireland;
       (12) greatly values the close relationships the United 
     States shares with both the United Kingdom and Ireland; and
       (13) takes into account, as relevant, conditions requiring 
     that obligations under the Good Friday Agreement be met as 
     the United States seeks to negotiate a mutually advantageous 
     and comprehensive trade agreement between the United States 
     and the United Kingdom.

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