Scott Garrett: “nearly nine years ago, the people of Northern Ireland took a great step forward into building a lasting peace. The Good…”

“nearly nine years ago, the people of Northern Ireland took a great step forward into building a lasting peace. The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, set forth a plan for establishing a peaceful civil government for both Catholics and Protestants. Today, we are close to ending an enmity that stretches back across centuries. With the establishment of an assembly there will be a substantial forum for the people of Northern Ireland to sort through their difference peacefully. The years of calm since the signing of the agreement have seen developments that seemed nearly impossible decades ago. The acceptance of the Police Service of Northern Ireland by Sinn Fein in January of this year marked one of the last hurdles to the full implementation of the agreement. With one neutral force to fairly administer the law, the people of Northern Ireland can stop seeing the police as adversaries and instead see them as guardians of the peace, as it should be. It is now critical that a final agreement be put in place so that the assembly can continue to meet and lead the people of Northern Ireland. Now that the IRA, as confirmed by third-party observers, has decommissioned its weapons, it is time for the Democratic Unionists to come together to rule in cooperation with Sinn Fein. With so much progress made it would be a great shame to see the dissolution of a body freely elected by the people of Northern Ireland.”