[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 157 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 157
Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday
Agreement, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 30, 2023
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, Mr. Schumer, and Mr. Brown)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
May 3, 2023
Reported by Mr. Menendez, without amendment
May 9, 2023
Considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday
Agreement, and for other purposes.
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;
(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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