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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 157 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 157

 Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday 
                   Agreement, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   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, and Mr. Schumer) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) 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;
            (2) 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;
            (3) urges all parties in Northern Ireland to recommit 
        urgently to power-sharing and restoration of a fully 
        functioning Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive;
            (4) expresses support for the full implementation of the 
        Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, including the 
        Windsor Framework;
            (5) 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;
            (6) 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;
            (7) 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;
            (8) calls for continuing attention and action to resolve 
        the injustices of past violence, including violence by state 
        and nonstate actors;
            (9) observes that victims, survivors, and family members of 
        victims of Troubles-era violence must be able to fully pursue 
        justice;
            (10) 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'';
            (11) 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;
            (12) greatly values the close relationships the United 
        States shares with both the United Kingdom and Ireland; and
            (13) 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.
                                 <all>
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