Expressing support for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 as the blueprint for lasting peace in Northern Ireland and support for continued police reform in Northern Ireland as a critical element in the peace process.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 744) expressing support for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 as the blueprint for lasting peace in Northern Ireland and support for continued police reform in Northern Ireland as a critical element in the peace process.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 744, a resolution introduced by International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde. H. Res. 744 expresses support by the House for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 as the blueprint for lasting peace in Northern Ireland. In addition, it supports continued police reform in Northern Ireland, which is a critical element in the implementation of the Good Friday Accords.

At this time, I would like to commend Chairman Henry Hyde, as well as Representatives Elton Gallegly and Chris Smith as well as our distinguished ranking members Tom Lantos and Joe Crowley for their work on

this measure and more importantly their commitment to this singularly important peace process. I would like to also note the important role of Mr. Walsh of New York and Mr. Neal of Massachusetts as the Chair and Cochair of Ireland-related caucuses. H. Res. 744 also has broad-based support among those House Members who long have been concerned about finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Madam Speaker, since 1969, over 3,200 have died as a result of terrorism and political violence in Northern Ireland. For years, the British and Irish governments, assisted by the United States, sought to facilitate a peaceful settlement to the conflict. Finally, in April of 1998, the long-warring Catholic and Protestant factions in Northern Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement. Just over a month later, strong majorities in both the north and south of Ireland endorsed the agreement in a referendum.

The Good Friday Agreement calls for the transfer of power from London to Belfast and the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive Committee, in which Unionists and Nationalists share power. It also contains provisions on disarmament, reformed policing, human rights, prisoners, and demilitarization by British Armed Forces.

Madam Speaker, while the Good Friday Agreement provides a blueprint for achieving peace and justice in Northern Ireland, its full implementation has proved difficult. The devolved Northern Ireland government has been suspended since October 2002 amid a loss of trust on both sides of the conflict.

Unionists remain skeptical about the IRA's commitment to disarmament and nonviolence. As a result, they have so far refused to join the power-sharing institutions such as the Executive Committee, which was created by the Good Friday Agreement for the purpose of exercising executive authority in Northern Ireland.

On the other hand, Nationalists worry about the pace of police reforms. They have refused to join the Policing Board, the independent oversight body that ensures the Police Service of Northern Ireland is effective, accountable and impartial.

That leaves us at a standstill in the peace process. The Unionists do not have confidence as to the IRA's intentions and commitment to nonviolence. The Nationalists still do not have confidence in the police service and they question the Unionists' commitment to share power with Catholics.

This legislation directly addresses these issues and clearly endorses the Good Friday Agreement as the exclusive framework for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

Specifically, House Resolution 744 states that it is the sense of the House that all groups and both communities should end their involvement and paramilitary activity.

Second, the legislation calls on all political parties to agree to share power and work in good faith with the power-sharing institutions established by the Good Friday Agreement.

Third, since police reform is a significant part of winning public confidence in the new government in Northern Ireland, all political parties should cooperate fully with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Lastly, House Resolution 744 calls on the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland to work together to achieve full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

The language of the resolution puts a shared onus on both sides, Nationalists and Unionists alike, to take the difficult next steps that will move the peace process forward and lead to the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

Madam Speaker, this is an important piece of legislation that provides support for the Northern Ireland peace process at a critical time.

Again, I commend Chairman Hyde for introducing this resolution and for quickly bringing it to the floor for consideration.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh), who chairs the Friends of Ireland Committee and who has played such a central role on Irish issues in this Congress.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who has been such a leader on so many issues, including those that relate to Ireland.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, but I would like to conclude with just one reference to a distinguished American that is a member of your side, Senator George Mitchell, who did so much to work to achieve and develop the accord that we are now referencing in this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 740) calling on the Government of the United Kingdom to immediately establish a full, independent, public judicial inquiry into the murder of Northern Ireland defense attorney Pat Finucane, as recommended by international Judge Peter Cory as part of the Weston Park agreement and a way forward for the Northern Ireland Peace Process, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 740. I thank my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his leadership on human rights matters worldwide and for offering this important legislation regarding human rights in Northern Ireland.

Last month, on April 4, 2006, we voted nearly unanimously, 399-1, for H. Res. 744, that important resolution sponsored by the chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Henry Hyde, expressed our support for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 as the blueprint for lasting peace in Northern Ireland, and support for continued police reforms in Northern Ireland as a critical element in the peace process.

U.S. support was crucial to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement signed 8 years ago, and our support continues to be vital. H. Res. 744 rightly commended the progress which has been made in Northern Ireland. As a result of the Good Friday Agreement, there is a new Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI. Under the leadership of Chief Constable Hugh S. Orde, the PSNI has made giant strides toward fair and nonsectarian policing. There is a vigorous and fiercely independent Police Ombudsman's Office, whose chief, Nuala O'Loane, has been a catalyst for reform. There is now a policing board in Northern Ireland composed of independent and party representatives designed to provide civilian control and fair nonsectarian policing. There is a new historical inquiries team established by Chief Constable Orde which will provide a thorough and independent examination of unresolved deaths that occurred in connection with the Troubles from 1968 to 1989.

But H. Res. 740, which we shall vote on today, is the indispensable companion of Mr. Hyde's H. Res. 744. Even with all the improvements I have noted in policing, Madam Speaker, significant further work remains to be done in order to ensure acceptance by all communities of the Police Service in Northern Ireland. A key stumbling block to that greater acceptance has been the lack of resolution of charges of official collusion in the murder of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane, who was gunned down in front of his home in front of his wife and three small children in 1989.

Pat Finucane was not only a courageous human rights activist and loving father and husband, he is also a symbol of the horrible culture of official collusion and terrorism and crime in Northern Ireland. Resolving the question surrounding his murder will help to put an end to that culture once and for all and allow Northern Ireland's still fragile peace to flourish in a new atmosphere of trust.

We have twice gone on record supporting establishment of a public independent judicial inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane. In 1999, we adopted House Resolution 128 offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) which condemned the murder of attorney Rosemary Nelson and requested a public inquiry into the Finucane murder.

In 2003, Congress passed and the President signed the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which included a provision offered by the gentleman from New Jersey supporting public judicial inquiries into the murders of both Rosemary Nelson and Patrick Finucane. We have moved the issue towards resolution, but we are not there yet.

In 2001, the British and Irish governments jointly appointed Judge Peter

Cory, a preeminent retired justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, to determine whether independent commissions should investigate possible state-sponsored collusion in six notorious and horrific murders. They also pledged to abide by his recommendations. In 2004, Judge Cory issued his report, yet the British Government still has not appointed an inquiry commission into the murder of Patrick Finucane. Our colleague, Chris Smith, who could not be here today as he attends the funeral of Congressman Sonny Montgomery, has chaired numerous hearings on human rights and police reform in Northern Ireland since 1997, and in every one the issue of state-sponsored collusion in the Finucane murder has been central, yet still nothing has been done.

On March 8, the Irish Parliament passed an all-part motion fully supported by the Irish Government calling on the U.K. to immediately establish ``a full independent public judicial inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane as recommended by Judge Cory, which would enjoy the full cooperation of the family and the wider community throughout Ireland and abroad.''

The U.K. Government must find a way to institute a credible inquiry which would be accepted by all: by Judge Cory, the Irish public, by the world community, and, most of all, by the Finucane family. I commend my colleagues Chris Smith, Elton Gallegly, Peter King, Jim Walsh, Richard Neal, Don Payne, and Tom Lantos for their work on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 740, which I introduced with bipartisan support, will do just what it says: provide a way forward for the Northern Ireland Peace Process.

I thank my colleague from Michigan, Mr. Thad McCotter, for managing this bill so ably on the floor. I thank Chairman Henry Hyde, Reps. Elton Gallegly, Peter King, Jim Walsh, Tom Lantos, the Ranking Member of the House International Relations Committee and many others for their work and support on this bill.

Yesterday, the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly met for the first time since 2002. Yet it still faces crucial challenges over community policing, and acceptance by the nationalist community of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). For the population of Northern Ireland to fully transfer its trust to the police, it must have confidence that the police and the authorities deserve trust and will be held accountable.

A key stumbling block to that greater acceptance has been the lack of resolution of charges of official collusion in the murder of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane, who was gunned down in his home, in front of his wife and three small children, in 1989. Pat Finucane was not only a courageous human rights activist, but also a loving father and husband. His murder symbolizes the depth and danger of official State sponsored collusion in

Northern Ireland. Resolving the questions surrounding this murder will help restore confidence in the agencies of government in the north, and allow Northern Ireland's still fragile peace to flourish in a new atmosphere of trust.

That is a major reason why this inquiry needs to be done, and done right, as soon as possible. This is the purpose of H. Res. 740, which calls on the British government to establish the kind of full, public, independent, judicial inquiry into Patrick Finucane's killing called for by Judge Peter Cory, an esteemed Supreme Court judge from Canada who was asked by the British and Irish Governments to investigate this murder and make a recommendation regarding the possibility of collusion.

H. Res. 740 calls for exactly the type of inquiry that nongovernmental human rights organizations, including British Irish Rights Watch, the Committee for the Administration of Justice, Human Rights First, and Amnesty International have demanded. This is what the Irish Government and Parliament have urged. It is what we in Congress have supported. In 1999 the House passed House Resolution 128, which I authored, and in 2003 the full Congress passed, and the President signed into law, Chairman Hyde's Foreign Relations Authorization Act (Public Law 107-228).

But most of all, this is what the Finucane family, which for 17 years has courageously campaigned for justice, for Pat Finucane and all the victims in Northern Ireland, has demanded. Let us once again join them in their struggle.

I have held eleven hearings on human rights and police reform in Northern Ireland since 1997. In every one of those hearings witnesses have testified to the central role the Finucane murder has played in advancing an atmosphere of distrust and no confidence in state agencies. We've had family members, other Northern Ireland attorneys, non-governmental human rights activists, as well as Mitch Reiss, President Bush's special envoy for the Northern Ireland Peace Process and Param Cumaraswamy, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur all testify that properly investigating this case is key to securing a just and lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

This is a crucial moment in the peace process in Northern Ireland. A credible public, independent, judicial inquiry into Pat Finucane's murder will help ensure confidence in the rule of law in the north of Ireland and will help bring the people of both sides of the divide to a just, stable and lasting peace which they richly deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to again express my deepest condolences to the Finucane family and thank them for their courageous and tireless efforts on behalf of justice not only for their loved one but also for others who may have been victims of state-sponsored collusion in the north of Ireland. Similarly, I would like to acknowledge the work and support from many human rights activists including Jane Winter of British Irish Rights Watch, Elisa Massimino from Human Rights First formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights), and Maggie Beirne, Martin O'Brien and Paul Mageean who have testified before Congress on behalf of the Committee on the Administration of Justice. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to remind my colleagues of the riveting testimony offered on this matter in 1998 by Rosemary Nelson, an attorney from Northern Ireland who told Congress that defense attorneys there feared that they could be murdered themselves because no one had been held accountable in the murder of Patrick Finucane. Six months after her testimony, Rosemary Nelson was killed, the victim of a car bomb.

For the Finucanes, for Rosemary Nelson and her family, and for peace and justice in Northern Ireland, I urge my colleagues to vote to pass this important resolution.

I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the statement from the Honorable Judge Peter Cory, March 15, 2005 and a copy of the resolution adopted by Dail Eireann on March 8th urging an independent, judicial, public inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane.

The Honorable Peter Cory,

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa for yielding time to me and for his leadership on all issues relating to the International Relations Committee. I would especially like to thank Chairman Hyde and Ranking Member Lantos for their leadership and the entire International Relations Committee and their staff for their hard work and effort in getting this important resolution to the floor at such a critical period in the Northern Ireland peace process.

The timing of this resolution could not be more appropriate. We are fast approaching the eighth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, and recent media reporting suggests that the British and Irish governments are working to restore a devolved government that has been under suspension since the police raids and the Unionist walkout of October 2002.

As one of 35 million Irish Americans in this country, I can't tell you how pleased and encouraged I am with these developments. For far too long, the people of Northern Ireland have been denied an equal voice and equal representation in government. It is time for the Assembly and Executive to be up and running and the people's business to be addressed.

Her island's citizens have spoken. They expressed their views for a shared future by overwhelmingly approving the Good Friday Accords by a margin of 95 percent in the Republic of Ireland and 71 percent in Northern Ireland. It is time for Northern Ireland's political leadership to acknowledge their wishes and fully carry them out.

In the last few years, progress has been spotty, but, nonetheless, there has been progress. That progress must continue without any backward steps or delays. I believe recognizing a few key leaders that have nurtured this progress can help highlight and strengthen this initiative.

First I would commend Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain and

the Republic of Ireland's Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. Northern Ireland has no better friend than these two men. They have been understanding to all viewpoints and fair to all political denominations and respectful of all traditions. They have been firm in conviction and steadfast in their beliefs; and, most importantly, they have been true leaders committed to a lasting peace. Both men deserve recognition and praise for their work.

Second, the leadership of Sinn Fein for their role in facilitating the complete decommissioning of the IRA's weaponry. This was certainly no small task. Sinn Fein has never received the full credit it deserves for delivering this historic moment. Sinn Fein made the commitment, the commitment was delivered in full, and that commitment has been verified by the International Monitoring Commission and the International Commission on Decommissioning led by General de Chastelain.

I have read reports of individuals being skeptical and wary of this declaration, but the facts speak for themselves. The IRA has abandoned its armed struggle in pursuit of its goals by political means. This must be fully acknowledged. Continued challenge does nothing but obstruct and inhibit the peace process.

I would like to add also, Madam Speaker, that the members of the Democratic Unionist Party, the DUP, led by Dr. Ian Paisley, will be here today meeting with Members of Congress, and we welcome them. We are delighted that they are here. We are excited about hearing their vision for the future of Northern Ireland, and they will be here to express that and develop personal relationships. Many of them are members of Parliament, in addition to being elected members of the legislative assembly in Northern Ireland.

Finally, the Policing Service in Northern Ireland, under the leadership of Hugh Orde and Nuala O'Loan, deserves recognition. Northern Ireland has experienced a dramatic improvement in policing over the last 8 years, with the current Catholic to Protestant employment percentage up 18 percent since the restructuring, and the police recruit ratio holding firm at 50-50.

It is imperative that people in all communities recognize that the Policing Service, while not perfect, is certainly not the Policing Service of old. They must begin to develop a relationship of trust and confidence in their police. It is only through this type of relationship that the community will be best served.

Madam Speaker, again it gives me great pleasure to stand before you today in order to praise the Good Friday Agreement as the framework for peace in Northern Ireland and to recognize the remarkable progress that has been achieved.

I would also like to recognize the efforts of all the Members of Congress, House and Senate, and Presidents of both parties for their commitment to this process. I commend the efforts of all past leaders who have put personal and political ramifications aside for the greater good of Northern Ireland and urge all current leaders to continue to move forward. I urge adoption of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend, Chairman Leach, for yielding me time and for his leadership on this and on so many other resolutions and initiatives as well on behalf of human rights.

Mr. Lantos, it is great to see you again on the floor, not unexpected. You are always here fighting the good fight on behalf of human rights.

Madam Speaker, I especially want to commend Chairman Hyde for offering this resolution. I am very proud to be one of the original cosponsors of it. It is a collaborative effort that strongly restates U.S. support for the Good Friday Agreement signed 8 years ago this month.

Madam Speaker, the Hyde resolution also underscores our unyielding support for the establishment of peace, justice, reconciliation and prosperity in Northern Ireland which we have all hoped for and we have all prayed for. While we are not there yet there has been some very encouraging signs.

On March 15, Madam Speaker, I chaired my eleventh hearing on the Northern Ireland peace process. All of these hearings have been comprehensive and insightful but this one was the first since the IRA's full renunciation of arms struggle and the decommissioning of its weapons.

Our resolution today makes note of that historic milestone, a remarkable development in the path to peace. Of course, equally significant for the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement is true, durable and transparent police reform. Here, too, Madam Speaker, there has been progress.

Today there is a vigorous and fiercely independent Police Ombudsman's Office, whose chief, Nuala O'Loane, has been a catalyst for reform. There is now a Policing Board in Northern Ireland composed of independent and party representatives to design and provide civilian control and fair nonsectarian policing. The Chairman, Sir Desmond Rea, and retiring Vice Chairman, Dennis Bradley, testified at our

most recent hearing. There is a new Historical Enquiries Team established by the PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde, which will provide a thorough and independent examination of unresolved deaths that occurred in connection with the troubles from 1968 to 1989.

H. Res. 744 rightly commends Nuala O'Loane, Sir Hugh, and the new policing institutions for the progress that they have made, often under very adversarial conditions. Even with these improvements, Madam Speaker, significant work further remains to be done in order to ensure acceptance by all the communities of the PSNI. A key stumbling block to that greater acceptance has been the lack of resolution of charges of official collusion in the murder of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane. In 2001 the British and Irish governments jointly appointed Judge Peter Cory, a preeminent retired justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, to determine whether independent commissions should investigate possible state-sponsored collusion in six notorious and horrific murders. They also pledge to abide by his recommendations.

Two years ago Judge Cory, and he too testified at one point before our committee, 2 years ago he issued his report; and it called for five of the six murderers to be investigated independently. Yet, I am sorry to say, the British government has still not appointed an inquiry commission into the murder of the human rights attorney, Pat Finucane, who was gunned down in his home in front of his wife and three small children in 1989.

Every one of the 11 hearings that I have chaired on human rights and police reform in Northern Ireland has dealt with Pat Finucane's murder in whole or in part, yet still nothing has been done. The U.K. government must find a way to institute a credible inquiry which will be stepped by all, by Judge Cory, the Irish Republic, by the world community, but most of all, by the Finucane family.

If the population of Northern Ireland is to cease relying on paramilitaries for protection, which they absolutely must do, they must never rely on that, and transfer its trust to the police, it must have the confidence that the police and the authorities deserve trust. That is the major reason why these inquiries must be done and done right as soon as possible.

Again, I want to commend Chairman Hyde, Chairman Gallegly, Mr. Walsh, Mr. King, of course Mr. Lantos again, and Chairman Leach, and also many of our staffs, including Mary Noonan, Richard Mereu and Dennis Curry for their work in writing and crafting this resolution which will put us in a bipartisan way on record for saying that the peace process must continue and the Good Friday Agreement must be fully implemented.