A resolution 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.

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 117 Expressing support for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agree- ment, or the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent agreements and arrange- ments for implementation to support peace on the island of Ireland. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 16, 2021 Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, 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, Mr. REED, Mr. BROWN, and Mrs. GILLIBRAND) submitted the following reso- lution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations MARCH 24, 2021 Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble MAY 17, 2021 Committee discharged; considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble RESOLUTION Expressing support for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, or the Belfast Agreement, and subse- quent agreements and arrangements for implementation to support peace on the island of Ireland. 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 Agree- ment’’; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:45 May 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR117.ATS SR117 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 SRES 117 ATS 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 Agree- ment 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 col- lapse 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 King- dom from the European Union, and the protocol to that agreement on Northern Ireland preserving an open bor- der on the island of Ireland (in this preamble referred to as the ‘‘Northern Ireland Protocol’’), are intended to pro- tect 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 violence by state and non-state actors, 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:45 May 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR117.ATS SR117 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 SRES 117 ATS wealth of the island of Ireland’’ and declares the Govern- ment of the United Kingdom will seek ways to encourage the use of and education in the Irish language and pro- vide opportunities for Irish language arts; Whereas the reintroduction of barriers, checkpoints, or per- sonnel 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 suc- cesses 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; Whereas the United States Congress stands steadfastly com- mitted 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 trade and economic issues: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) urges the United Kingdom and the Euro- 2 pean Union to support peace on the island of Ireland 3 and the principles, objectives, and commitments of 4 the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the 5 ‘‘Belfast Agreement’’; 6 (2) expresses support for the full implementa- 7 tion of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent 8 agreements, including the Stormont House Agree- 9 ment agreed to in December 2014, as well as the 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:45 May 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR117.ATS SR117 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 SRES 117 ATS protocol on Northern Ireland to the agreement on 1 the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Eu- 2 ropean Union (in this resolution referred to as the 3 ‘‘Northern Ireland Protocol’’); 4 (3) congratulates all parties in Northern Ire- 5 land for the return in January 2020 to a power- 6 sharing agreement; 7 (4) urges all parties in Northern Ireland to 8 work collectively to ensure the implementation of all 9 commitments of the Good Friday Agreement and 10 subsequent agreements so that all of the institutions 11 of the Good Friday Agreement can operate success- 12 fully and sustainably and that ongoing political chal- 13 lenges can be overcome; 14 (5) calls for continuing attention and action to 15 resolve the injustices of past violence, including vio- 16 lence by state and non-state actors; 17 (6) supports the passage of a Bill of Rights for 18 Northern Ireland and the right of all the people on 19 the island of Ireland to self-determine their future as 20 provided for in the Good Friday Agreement; 21 (7) encourages renewed attention to educational 22 and cultural efforts that will ensure the rich lan- 23 guage, literature, and arts of Northern Ireland en- 24 dure and are not diminished; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:45 May 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR117.ATS SR117 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 SRES 117 ATS (8) expresses support for the Northern Ireland 1 Protocol and its full implementation, which ensures 2 through international agreement that no ‘‘hard bor- 3 der’’ will be reintroduced on the island of Ireland; 4 and 5 (9) greatly values the close relationships the 6 United States shares with both the United Kingdom 7 and the Republic of Ireland; and 8 (10) will take into account, as relevant, condi- 9 tions requiring that obligations under the Good Fri- 10 day Agreement be met as the United States seeks to 11 negotiate a mutually advantageous and comprehen- 12 sive trade agreement between the United States and 13 the United Kingdom. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:45 May 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR117.ATS SR117 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS