III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 173 

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

for lasting peace in Northern Ireland. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 16, 2005 

Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. DODD, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. 

BIDEN, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. CORZINE, Mr. DURBIN, and 

Mr. HARKIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JULY 13, 2005 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 

as the blueprint for lasting peace in Northern Ireland. 

Whereas in 1998, 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; 

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; 
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SRES 173 ATS

Whereas the parties to the Good Friday Agreement also affirmed their ‘‘total and absolute commitment to exclusively 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 and criminal activity in a democratic 

society undermines the trust and confidence that are essential in a political system based on inclusive powersharing in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas the United States Government continues to strongly 

support the peace process in Northern Ireland; and 

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: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the Senate reiterates its support for the 

3 Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, 

4 in Belfast, as the blueprint for a lasting peace in 

5 Northern Ireland; and 

6 (2) it is the sense of the Senate that— 

7 (A) the Irish Republican Army must imme8 diately— 

9 (i) complete the process of decommis10 sioning; 
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1 (ii) cease to exist as a paramilitary or2 ganization; and 

3 (iii) end its involvement in any way in 

4 paramilitary and criminal activity; 

5 (B) the Democratic Unionist Party in 

6 Northern Ireland must— 

7 (i) share power with all parties ac8 cording to the democratic mandate of the 

9 Good Friday Agreement; and 

10 (ii) commit to work in good faith with 

11 all the institutions of the Good Friday 

12 Agreement, which established an inclusive 

13 Executive and the North-South Ministerial 

14 Council, for the benefit of all the people of 

15 Northern Ireland; 

16 (C) Sinn Fein must work in good faith 

17 with the Police Service of Northern Ireland; 

18 (D) the leadership of Sinn Fein must insist 

19 that those responsible for the murder of Robert 

20 McCartney and those who were witnesses to the 

21 murder— 

22 (i) cooperate directly with the Police 

23 Service of Northern Ireland; and 

24 (ii) be protected fully from any retal25 iation by the Irish Republican Army; and 
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1 (E) the Government of the United King2 dom must— 

3 (i) permanently restore the democratic 

4 institutions of Northern Ireland; 

5 (ii) complete the process of demili6 tarization in Northern Ireland; and 

7 (iii) advance equality and human 

8 rights agendas in Northern Ireland. 

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