Political Quotes

“a second subject matter I want to address is that with the bad news that we have daily been subjected to in this country since September 11 regarding international and domestic terrorism and finding and bringing those to justice who are responsible it is refreshing to be able to report on some good news. Today, it appears that a major obstacle to the full implementation of the Good Friday accords on the Northern Ireland peace process has been removed with the announcement by the IRA that it has begun to permanently put beyond use all its weapons. I believe that General de Chastelain, on behalf of the International Commission on Decommissioning, will shortly confirm that this has, in fact, been done. For those of us, and there are many in this Chamber and the other body who have been involved in these issues over the past 8 or 10 years, this is a very significant moment indeed. It means that the sectarian differences which have torn Northern Ireland apart for nearly thirty years, and shed the blood of too many Irish men, women and children can now be addressed through dialog and compromise rather than by bullets and bombs.”