Lincoln Chafee: “On Good Friday a landmark agreement was reached in Northern Ireland to start down the road to bring to an end decades of…”

“On Good Friday a landmark agreement was reached in Northern Ireland to start down the road to bring to an end decades of violent hostilities, and reshape fundamentally the political institutions of that province. All Americans have reason to be very pleased that the many competing political factions in Northern Ireland were able to resolve their longstanding, bitter disagreements. Today I want to express my particular appreciation of the splendid efforts of President Clinton's Special Advisor on Ireland, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. It comes as no surprise to me that those closest to these negotiations believe that were it not for the tireless efforts of Senator Mitchell, this agreement would not have been reached. Having worked with Senator Mitchell for nearly fifteen years on many complex issues, I can certainly attest to his unique ability to forge an agreement that most thought unachievable. Senator Mitchell's many fine attributes served him well in the U.S. Senate, and helped prepare him for the tremendous challenges he faced as chairman of the multi-party talks in Northern Ireland: He has the patience to listen to the contentions of people whose differences have existed for some three hundred years.”