[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5803]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, today we celebrate the 10th anniversary 
of the historic Good Friday agreement, which put Northern Ireland on 
the path to reconciliation and peace after decades of violence, 
bloodshed, and deep mistrust.
  The people of Northern Ireland and the courageous leaders of the 
political parties in Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Great Britain, all 
deserve special recognition on this day for their deep and unwavering 
commitment to peace. We salute them for their extraordinary 
accomplishment and difficult compromises they were able to achieve to 
create a greater and better future for the people of Northern Ireland. 
Their success is an example to the world of what can be accomplished 
with courage and commitment.
  The benefits and advances have been extraordinary over the past 
decade. Guns are out of politics, and power is being shared on an equal 
basis. Future generations in Northern Ireland will live in peace, 
stability and prosperity, and they will do so because of the 
extraordinary commitment by leaders on all sides to a peaceful 
resolution of conflict based upon mutual respect for all the people.
  All Americans congratulate the people of Northern Ireland on this 
auspicious anniversary. They were truly blessed to have such 
extraordinary peacemakers among them, and we pray for similar 
leadership in resolving the other bitter conflicts that challenge our 
world today.

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