[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5203]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   GEORGE MITCHELL'S MEDAL OF FREEDOM

  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, few individuals have made a greater 
contribution to the cause of peace in Northern Ireland than our friend 
and former Senate colleague, Senator George Mitchell. His leadership 
was indispensable in helping the political leaders of Northern Ireland 
achieve the historic Good Friday Peace Agreement of 1998.
  Last Wednesday, on St. Patrick's Day, President Clinton presented 
Senator Mitchell with the nation's highest civilian honor, the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom. In accepting the award, Senator Mitchell 
demonstrated again why he has been so vital to the peace process. He 
spoke directly and movingly to the political leaders on both sides of 
Northern Ireland, many of whom were in the White House audience. He 
reminded them of how far they had come in their search for peace. He 
urged them to resolve the current difficulties and enable the peace 
agreement to continue to be implemented.
  As he said so eloquently, ``History might have forgiven failure to 
reach an agreement, since no one thought it possible. But once the 
agreement was reached, history will never forgive the failure to carry 
it forward.''

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