IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 555 

Expressing support for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 as the blueprint 

for lasting peace in Northern Ireland. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 15, 2005 

Mr. WALSH (for himself, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. KING of New York, 

Mr. CROWLEY, Mrs. MCCARTHY, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. 

SWEENEY, and Mr. PAYNE) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 

as the blueprint for lasting peace in Northern Ireland. 

Whereas the Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 

1998, in Belfast, was endorsed in a referendum by the 

overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland and 

the Republic of Ireland; 

Whereas the parties to the Good Friday Agreement made a 

clear commitment to ‘‘partnership, equality, and mutual 

respect’’ as the basis for moving forward in pursuit of 

lasting peace in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas the parties to the Good Friday Agreement also affirmed their ‘‘total and absolute commitment to exclu-
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•HRES 555 IH 

sively democratic and peaceful means’’ in pursuit of lasting peace in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas inclusive power-sharing based on these defining 

qualities is essential to the viability and advancement of 

the democratic process in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas paramilitary activity by both traditions in a democratic society undermines the trust and confidence that 

are essential in a political system based on inclusive 

power-sharing in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas on September 26, 2005, the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) confirmed the Irish Republican Army had destroyed its full 

arsenal of weapons; 

Whereas the Government of the United Kingdom and the 

Government of Ireland continue to strongly support the 

Good Friday Agreement as the way forward in the peace 

process and have committed themselves to its implementation; and 

Whereas the Government of the United States continues to 

strongly support the peace process in Northern Ireland: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the House of Representatives— 

3 (A) reiterates its support for the Good Fri4 day Agreement as the blueprint for a lasting 

5 peace in Northern Ireland; 

6 (B) commends the Prime Minister of the 

7 United Kingdom Tony Blair and the Irish 

8 Taoiseach Bertie Ahern for their leadership and 
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1 persistence in seeing to a peaceful resolution in 

2 Northern Ireland; 

3 (C) commends the Sinn Fein leadership in 

4 successfully urging the Irish Republican Army 

5 to end its armed struggle and verifiably put its 

6 weapons beyond use; and 

7 (D) commends the leadership of Sir Hugh 

8 S. Orde, Chief Constable of the Police Service 

9 of Northern Ireland; and 

10 (2) it is the sense of the House of Representa11 tives that— 

12 (A) all groups and organizations should 

13 end their involvement in paramilitary activity; 

14 (B) all political parties in Northern Ireland 

15 should— 

16 (i) agree to share power with all par17 ties according to the democratic mandate 

18 of the Good Friday Agreement; 

19 (ii) commit to work in good faith with 

20 all the institutions of the Good Friday 

21 Agreement, which established the Northern 

22 Ireland Assembly and an inclusive Execu23 tive, the North-South Ministerial Council, 

24 and the British-Irish Inter-Governmental 
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1 Conference, for the benefit of all the people 

2 of Northern Ireland; and 

3 (iii) work toward participating with 

4 the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and 

5 (C) the Government of the United King6 dom and the Government of Ireland should 

7 work to achieve full implementation of the Good 

8 Friday Agreement, including devolution of po9 licing and justice as well as normalization of the 

10 security presence. 

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