IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 777 

Strongly reaffirming support for the Good Friday Agreement, urging the 

British and Irish Governments to vigorously implement certain aspects 

of the Agreement, and urging the Secretary of State to appoint a Special 

Envoy for Northern Ireland and to continue to promote full implementation of the Agreement. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 13, 2018 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. NEAL, 

and Mr. MCGOVERN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Strongly reaffirming support for the Good Friday Agreement, 

urging the British and Irish Governments to vigorously 

implement certain aspects of the Agreement, and urging 

the Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy for 

Northern Ireland and to continue to promote full implementation of the Agreement. 

Whereas the Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 

1998, by the British and Irish Governments and the political parties of Northern Ireland, provided a comprehensive framework for the political settlement of a longstanding and violent conflict between different national, 

cultural, and religious identities in Northern Ireland; 


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•HRES 777 IH 

Whereas at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement was the 

principle of consent, whereby any future change to the 

status of Northern Ireland can only come about with the 

consent of the majority of its people; 

Whereas in the Good Friday Agreement, the British and 

Irish Governments agreed to recognize the legitimacy of 

Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom and to 

conditions in and procedures by which that could be 

changed in the future; 

Whereas in the Good Friday Agreement, the political parties 

of Northern Ireland, together with the British and Irish 

Governments, agreed on Northern Ireland Government 

structures, decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, 

British demilitarization, the release of prisoners, and implemented these aspects of the Agreement; 

Whereas implementation of aspects of the Agreement concerning devolution of authority, reform of policing, dealing with the past, and addressing the suffering of victims 

has proven more difficult; 

Whereas Northern Ireland has not been under direct rule 

from London since May 2007, yet the devolved Government has frequently been unable to constitute itself or 

function, including since January 2017; 

Whereas the implementation of police reform, made necessary 

by the involvement of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 

abusive policing practices, continues to be marked by disagreement over whether elements of the security services 

opposed to the peace process improperly influence the 

new Police Service of Northern Ireland, and the relative 

proportion of officers from the Catholic and Protestant 

communities; 


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•HRES 777 IH 

Whereas the Good Friday Agreement provided that ‘‘it is essential to acknowledge and address the suffering of the 

victims of violence as a necessary element of reconciliation’’; 

Whereas the task of dealing with the past, including providing accountability for past violence and abuses, has 

been advanced by the Commission for Victims and Survivors, the Historical Enquiries Team, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, and the Saville Inquiry 

on Bloody Sunday, which have brought some measure of 

truth and closure to many victims and surviving family 

members; 

Whereas many other conflict-related deaths, injuries, and 

abuses have not been adequately dealt with, and further 

progress in dealing with the past has been impeded by 

the insistence of the British Government on retaining national-security exemptions to the investigation and adjudication process; 

Whereas in the Good Friday Agreement the British and Irish 

Governments bound themselves ‘‘to support, and where 

appropriate implement’’ the Multi-Party Agreement between the political parties of Northern Ireland; 

Whereas the United Kingdom’s negotiations to exit the European Union have created much uncertainty and concern 

on all sides as to how this would affect Northern Ireland 

and the Good Friday Agreement; 

Whereas the British Government bound itself, in the Implementation Plan issued by the British and Irish Governments on August 1, 2001, to establish a judicial inquiry 

into collusion in the murder by paramilitaries of human 

rights lawyer Patrick Finucane; 


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Whereas a public inquiry into Patrick Finucane’s murder has 

yet to occur despite the conclusion in a 2012 British Government report that ‘‘a series of positive actions by employees of the State actively furthered and facilitated 

murder and that, in the aftermath of the murder, there 

was a relentless attempt to defeat the ends of justice’’; 

Whereas the House of Representatives has repeatedly called 

on the British Government to establish a full, independent, and public judicial inquiry into the murder of 

Patrick Finucane, in H.Con.Res. 102 (105th Congress), 

H.Res. 128 (106th Congress), H.Res. 740 (109th Congress), and H.Con.Res. 20 (110th Congress); 

Whereas the United States Government played a facilitating 

role during the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement, and, since the signing of the Agreement in 1998, 

has played a supportive role which has been welcomed by 

both the British and Irish Governments; and 

Whereas the United States Government established the position of Special Envoy for Northern Ireland in 1995, 

which position has been filled with distinction by George 

Mitchell, Richard Haass, Mitchell Reiss, Paula 

Dobriansky, Declan Kelly, and Gary Hart, and proved 

itself useful in supporting the implementation of the 

Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland peace 

process: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) strongly reaffirms its support for the Good 

3 Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, in Bel4 fast, as a blueprint for sustainable peace in North5 ern Ireland; 


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•HRES 777 IH 

1 (2) commends the British and Irish Govern2 ments and the parties of Northern Ireland for many 

3 aspects of the implementation of the Agreement, in4 cluding decommissioning, demilitarization, and pris5 oner releases; 

6 (3) expresses concern about ongoing failings 

7 and crises with regard to certain aspects of the im8 plementation of the Agreement, particularly devolved 

9 government, police reforms, and accountability for 

10 past abuses, including failure to implement the 

11 Stormont House Agreement of 2014, as well as the 

12 British Government’s failure to fully address collu13 sion in paramilitary crimes; 

14 (4) urges the British and Irish Governments to 

15 support and implement the Good Friday Agreement 

16 as the irrevocable foundation of the peace process 

17 regardless of the United Kingdom’s status regarding 

18 the European Union; 

19 (5) continues to call on the British Government 

20 to establish a full, independent, and public judicial 

21 inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane; and 

22 (6) urges the Secretary of State to appoint a 

23 Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and to promote 

24 full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. 

Æ 


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