Political Quotes

“As many of you know, my first contact with Ireland came in the early 1950's when I served as a vice consul of the U.S. Foreign Service in Dublin. I then returned in 1978, as the ranking minority member of the Immigration Subcommittee, to investigate reports of visa denials to British subjects of Irish descent by United States consular posts in London, Dublin, and Belfast. That Judiciary Committee trip forever changed my outlook on Northern Ireland. Despite the thorough briefings we had on the situation prior to our departure, we were totally unprepared for what we saw during our 4 days there. We were especially struck by the violation of human rights the people of Northern Ireland are subjected to day in and day out and the glaring inadequacies of the justice system there. Since that time, I have worked with my colleagues as one of the cochairmen of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, to realize the goals of peace, justice, freedom, and an end to all discrimination in Northern Ireland. We are closer than ever to achieving those goals. The Joint Declaration of Peace issued by British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds on December 15, acknowledges the urgency of the situation in Northern Ireland and indicates a willingness to take steps toward resolving the crisis there. This plan, however, is just a first step.”