Elton Gallegly: “House Resolution 482, which I introduced on June 12, expresses the support of the House of Representatives for one of…”

“House Resolution 482, which I introduced on June 12, expresses the support of the House of Representatives for one of the most successful efforts in peacemaking in modern European history. The resolution recognizes the success of the Northern Irish peace process that had its first major breakthrough with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. While the Good Friday Agreement provided the blueprint for lasting peace, it took years of negotiation and compromise by both communities in Northern Ireland for the agreement to be fully implemented. This occurred on May 8 with the formation of a government based on a power-sharing arrangement involving the largest unionist and nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. The May 8 accord translated the general principles of the Good Friday Agreement into a concrete political settlement with important powers being transferred from London to Belfast. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 482 expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should strongly support the new power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.”