III
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 157
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
That the Senate—
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;
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;
urges all parties in Northern Ireland to recommit urgently to power-sharing and restoration of a fully functioning Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive;
expresses support for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, including the Windsor Framework;
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;
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;
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;
calls for continuing attention and action to resolve the injustices of past violence, including violence by state and nonstate actors;
observes that victims, survivors, and family members of victims of Troubles-era violence must be able to fully pursue justice;
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
;
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;
greatly values the close relationships the United States shares with both the United Kingdom and Ireland; and
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.