Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, as a blueprint for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 222) expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, as a blueprint for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, and for other purposes.

Mr. 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, as well as H. Res. 228.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank my good friend and colleague, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of New York, who has been a passionate and tireless advocate for peace and justice in Northern Ireland throughout her distinguished career in Congress.

Over the past several years, the peace process in Northern Ireland has taken many twists and turns. The Good Friday Agreement, designed to bring an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland, has been declared dead time and again. The Northern Ireland Assembly and the Executive established by the Good Friday Agreement have been suspended since 2002.

During the past few months, however, we have witnessed incredibly promising developments in our efforts to fully implement the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed almost 9 years ago on April 10, 1998.

The St. Andrews Agreement of October 2006 established a firm timetable for the restoration of the government in Northern Ireland. In the agreement itself and in subsequent declarations, both sides of the conflict committed themselves to the rule of law, effective policing, and a strong criminal justice system. Most importantly, the elections called for by the St. Andrews Agreement were carried out successfully just last week.

Now the hard work begins, Mr. Speaker. Over the next 2 weeks, Northern Ireland's political parties must agree to share power according to the democratic mandate of the Good Friday Agreement. A failure to reach a power sharing deal will lead to the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a development which would be profoundly damaging to the long-term prospects for peace in Northern Ireland. With passage of this resolution, Congress urges Northern Ireland's political leaders to make the tough compromises necessary to bring about a power sharing arrangement. With such a deal, the great promise of the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement can come to fruition.

The resolution before the House is designed to support the forward movement towards peace and to help pave the way to a time when the conflict in Northern Ireland is only a subject for the history books.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this timely resolution, and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), who is the sponsor of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I too want to thank Mr. Poe. And we also do not have any more speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Subcommittee Chairman Wexler and Ranking Member Poe.

As the author of H.R. 222, I rise in support, as all of the members of the Friends of Ireland Caucus do.

This month, the peace process of Northern Ireland has an opportunity to make great strides. Several significant events are taking place this month. On March 7, new assembly elections were held. On March 14, new members for a power-sharing executive will be nominated. And, finally, on March 26, London will rescind direct rule and restore Northern Ireland's devolved government.

It has been a long road to get to this point, but restored progress has been made. Recently, Democratic Unionist Party leader Mr. Paisley, and Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams spoke directly across the floor on the Northern Ireland Assembly. Some people will say this was a small matter. For those of us that have been involved in this issue, it was a great stand.

This dialogue is a major achievement in the ongoing peace process. However, there is still much work to be done, and this month is critical to ensure a successful devolution on March 26.

President Bush's Special Envoy on Northern Ireland has recognized the importance of this month's events and the need for Congress to help galvanize the momentum to achieve the March 26 deadline.

Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell believes a power sharing deal in Northern Ireland is now possible, following the March 7 assembly elections, but believes the U.S. still has a huge role to play in stimulating the investment and the trade in Northern Ireland.

With that in mind, I have introduced the Good Friday Agreement. This resolution shows Congress' support for the Good Friday Agreement, commends the efforts of Prime Minister Blair and Irish Taoiseach Ahern and all the parties for abiding by the St. Andrews Agreement. H. Res. 222 further encourages the parties to work in good faith to meet the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to make a difference in Ireland by helping to make sure that we keep this momentum going. But I think, more important, when we see the troubles throughout the world today, Ireland has always been something that many of us here in Congress have been fighting for to bring both sides together. The people of Ireland want this peace process to go through. It is good for the whole nation. We here in Congress will be going as an envoy to Ireland during the Easter break, hopefully to be congratulating everybody and telling them we will do whatever we can to make sure the government stays up and running. But, more importantly, it is the people of Ireland that have overwhelmingly on both sides said, ``We want the peace process to go forward.''

I urge my colleagues to vote for peace in Northern Ireland and support H. Res. 222.

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

Since 1969, over 3,200 people have died as a result of political violence in Northern Ireland. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement lessened the violence in Northern Ireland considerably, making it a safer place to live and allowing its beleaguered economy to prosper.

While these developments are positive steps forward, political differences between the opposing sides of this conflict led to a stalemate, which in 2002 persuaded the Blair government to suspend the Belfast Northern Ireland Assembly and shift power to direct rule from London. Events have now presented an opportunity to move forward.

Last week, a new Northern Ireland Assembly was elected, and at the end of this month, if an administration is formed, rule from Westminster will cease, with Northern Ireland assuming the reins of power for its own self-government.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in expressing his fondest hopes for the success of the Good Friday accords, has stated, ``Enemies would become not just partners in progress but sit together in government, and paramilitaries who used to murder each other as a matter of routine would talk to each other and learn to live with each other.''

Mr. Speaker, these are noble and lofty goals. While no one thought that they would be easy to achieve and many challenges have arisen, combat is now taking place in the political sphere rather than through violent means. Inch by inch, day by day, with focused determination, success is finally emerging.

Mr. Speaker, ours is a significant voice in the global community that must be raised in support of the progress that has already been achieved, and in calling for further efforts to achieve the goals of the Good Friday Agreement.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Wexler of the European Subcommittee for leading the discussion, and also Representative McCarthy from New York for sponsoring this legislation. We have no further speakers.

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

Mr. Speaker, nearly nine years ago, the people of Northern Ireland took a great step forward into building a lasting peace. The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, set forth a plan for establishing a peaceful civil government for both Catholics and Protestants.

Today, we are close to ending an enmity that stretches back across centuries. With the establishment of an assembly there will be a substantial forum for the people of Northern Ireland to sort through their difference peacefully.

The years of calm since the signing of the agreement have seen developments that seemed nearly impossible decades ago. The acceptance of the Police Service of Northern Ireland by Sinn Fein in January of this year marked one ofthe last hurdles to the full implementation of the agreement. With one neutral force to fairly administer the law, the people of Northern Ireland can stop seeing the police as adversaries and instead see them as guardians of the peace, as it should be.

It is now critical that a final agreement be put in place so that the assembly can continue to meet and lead the people of Northern Ireland. Now that the IRA, as confirmed by third-party observers, has decommissioned its weapons, it is time for the Democratic Unionists to come together to rule in cooperation with Sinn Fein.

With so much progress made it would be a great shame to see the dissolution of a body freely elected by the people of Northern Ireland. This Congress supports blueprint for peace signed nearly a decade ago and wishes to see last democracy and tranquility in Ireland.

Madam Speaker, I missed rollcall Votes No. 136-138 on March 12, 2007 and rollcall votes No 139-141 on March 13, 2007. It was six suspension votes H.R. 85, the Energy Technology Transfer Act, H. Res. 136, Commending the Girl Scouts of the United States of America on the occasion of their 95th anniversary, and H. Res. 89, Expressing the sense of the House that a day should be established as Dutch-American Friendship Day, H. Res. 64, Expressing the sense of the House that the Government of Bangladesh should immediately drop all pending charges against Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, H. Res. 228, Recognizing the 186th anniversary of the independence of Greece and celebrating Greek and American Democracy, and H. Res. 222, Expressing the support of the House for the Good Friday Agreement as a blueprint for lasting peace in Northern Ireland, respectively. I was detained and could not make it to the floor for this vote.

If present, I would have voted rollcall Vote No. 136, ``yea,'' roll call Vote No. 137, ``yea,'' rollcall Vote No. 138, ``yea,'' Vote No. 139, ``yea,'' rollcall Vote No. 140, ``yea,'' and rollcall Vote No. 141, ``yea.''