U.S. Senate Resolution 117 Expresses Support of the Good Friday Agreement, and Peace on the Island of Ireland

Courtesy of Congressional Record Online, Government Publishing Office            

SENATE RESOLUTION 117--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 
GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT, OR THE BELFAST AGREEMENT, AND SUBSEQUENT AGREEMENTS
AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION TO SUPPORT PEACE ON THE ISLAND OF IRELAND.

Introduced by Senator Robert Menendez, (and co-sponsored by Ms. Collins, Mr. Murphy, 
Mr. Leahy, Mr. Markey, Mr. Coons, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Casey, 
Mr. Booker, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Reed)submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations on March 16, 2021:

 S. Res. 117

 Whereas, 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'';
Whereas the goals of the Good Friday Agreement were to 
     bring a new era of devolved government and democracy to 
     Northern Ireland, end violence, and ensure peace for the 
     people of the island of Ireland;
Whereas the successful negotiation of the Good Friday 
     Agreement stands as a historic and groundbreaking success 
     that has proven critical to the decades of relative peace 
     that have followed;
Whereas the return to power sharing in 2020 after the 
     collapse of power-sharing institutions in 2017 creates new 
     opportunities for strengthening peace and reconciliation in 
     Northern Ireland;
Whereas the agreement between the United Kingdom and the 
     European Union on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from 
     the European Union, and the protocol to that agreement on 
     Northern Ireland preserving an open border on the island of 
     Ireland (in this preamble referred to as the ``Northern 
     Ireland Protocol''), are intended to protect the peace forged 
     under the Good Friday Agreement;
Whereas, despite the historic progress of 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 state-sponsored violence, and reducing 
     sectarian divisions and promoting reconciliation;
Whereas section 6 of the Good Friday Agreement (``Rights, 
     Safeguards and Equality of Opportunity'') recognizes ``the 
     importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in 
     relation to linguistic diversity'' as part of ``the cultural 
     wealth of the island of Ireland'' and declares the Government 
     of the United Kingdom will seek ways to encourage the use of 
     and education in the Irish language and provide opportunities 
     for Irish language arts;
Whereas the reintroduction of barriers, checkpoints, or 
     personnel on the island of Ireland, also known as a ``hard 
     border'', including through the invocation of Article 16 of 
     the Northern Ireland Protocol, would threaten the successes 
     of the Good Friday Agreement;
Whereas the United States 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; and
Whereas Congress greatly values the close relationships the 
     United States shares with both the United Kingdom and Ireland 
     and stands steadfastly committed to supporting the peaceful 
     resolution of any and all political challenges in Northern 
     Ireland: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) urges the United Kingdom and the European Union to 
     support peace on the island of Ireland and the principles, 
     objectives, and commitments of the Good Friday Agreement, 
     also known as the ``Belfast Agreement'';
       (2) expresses support for the full implementation of the 
     Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, including 
     the Stormont House Agreement agreed to in December 2014, as 
     well as the protocol on Northern Ireland to the agreement on 
     the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union 
     (in this resolution referred to as the ``Northern Ireland 
     Protocol'');
       (3) congratulates all parties in Northern Ireland for the 
     return in January 2020 to a power-sharing agreement;
       (4) 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;
       (5) calls for continuing attention and action to resolve 
     the injustices of past violence, including state-sponsored 
     violence;
       (6) supports the passage of a Bill of Rights for Northern 
     Ireland and the right of all the people on the island of 
     Ireland to self-determine their future as provided for in the 
     Good Friday Agreement;
       (7) encourages renewed attention to educational and 
     cultural efforts that will ensure the rich language, 
     literature, and arts of [[Page S1574]]
     Northern Ireland endure and are not diminished;
       (8) expresses support for the Northern Ireland Protocol and 
     its full implementation, which ensures through international 
     agreement that no ``hard border'' will be reintroduced on the 
     island of Ireland; and
       (9) will insist that any new or amended trade agreements 
     and other bilateral agreements between the Government of the 
     United States and the Government of the United Kingdom take 
     into account, as relevant, conditions requiring that obligations 

     under the Good Friday Agreement be met.

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