The Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the Protocol to that Agreement on Northern Ireland on the maintenance of an open border on the island of Ireland (referred to in this preamble as the ”Protocol of Northern Ireland”) are intended to protect the peace established under the Good Friday Agreement. Brendan Boyle, a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania Congress and a leading member of the Friends of Ireland group, told the Guardian: ”This is a very partisan time in American politics, and there are very few issues, very few that are really bipartisan. Defending the Good Friday Agreement and keeping the peace on the island of Ireland is one of those rare. In addition to the number of signatories,[Note 1] Stefan Wolff identifies the following similarities and differences between the issues addressed in the two agreements:[28] The agreement establishes a framework for the creation and number of institutions in three ”strands”. President Clinton`s interest in Northern Ireland is recognized worldwide as crucial to the peace process. During the trial, the United States considered itself to be .” interested foreigners, not insiders” and aimed to attract the parties rather than push them to reach an agreement. President Clinton was very proud of his role in the peace process and often cited them as examples of Kosovo and Kashmir with his famous phrase ”Let me tell you about Northern Ireland…” ». The agreement was approved by voters across the island of Ireland in two referendums on 22 May 1998. In Northern Ireland, in the 1998 referendum on the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, voters were asked if they supported the multi-party agreement. In the Republic of Ireland, voters were asked whether they would allow the state to sign the agreement and allow the necessary constitutional amendments (Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland) to facilitate it. People in both jurisdictions had to approve the agreement to bring it into effect. (This is an excerpt from Professor Monica McWilliams` testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment, and Cyberspace to reaffirm the Good Friday Agreement on May 5, 2021.
Professor McWilliams was one of the 2 peace negotiators who participated in the peace talks in Northern Ireland that led to the Good Friday Agreement, which was ratified in a referendum in May 1998. There have been challenges to peace from time to time, but these are particularly difficult times. Tensions are high, violence has increased, politicians are deeply divided, and society is more polarized. Brexit and the controversy surrounding the protocol have caused growing anger and unrest. There are serious concerns that the peace agreement will be jeopardized.) Joe Biden`s commitment to defending the Good Friday agreement is etched in his political history and identity. But it`s also a pillar of U.S. foreign policy, a rare topic of bipartisan consensus in an otherwise hyperpolarized political scene, one of the few positions Biden can take on the world stage without drawing Republican fire. Northern Ireland`s political parties in favour of the agreement were also invited to consider the creation of an independent consultation forum representing civil society with members with expertise in social, cultural, economic and other issues, appointed by both administrations. A framework for the North-South Consultation Forum was agreed in 2002 and in 2006 the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to support its establishment. (2) Expresses its support for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, including the Stormont House Agreement concluded in December 2014, as well as the Protocol on Northern Ireland to the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (referred to in this Resolution as the Protocol on Northern Ireland); The two main political parties in the deal were the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) led by David Trimble and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) led by John Hume. The two Heads of State and Government jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998.
The other parties involved in the deal were Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party and the Progressive Unionist Party. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which later became the largest Unionist party, did not support the deal. She left the talks when Sinn Féin and the loyalist parties joined because republican and loyalist paramilitary weapons had not been downgraded. The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) is one of the Clinton administration`s foreign policy successes. This agreement established a new system that transferred power from London to Northern Ireland through a method of power-sharing between nationalists and unionists. This peace treaty offered the population the possibility of dual nationality, which allowed them to be British, Irish or both citizens. By signing this historic agreement, the United States supported a greater voice for the Catholic minority in Northern Irish affairs. With the work of President Clinton and George Mitchell, Irish republicanism declared two ceasefires that represented the potential for political normalcy.
The signing of the Anglo-Irish agreement meant that the United States could easily ratify a number of objectives to which both governments had already committed. While Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom, the principles of the GFA stabilized Northern Ireland and improved the standard of living of the population with the promise of peaceful alternatives. The agreement was reached between the British and Irish governments and eight political parties or groups in Northern Ireland. Three were representative of unionism: the Ulster Unionist Party, which had led unionism in Ulster since the beginning of the 20th century, and two small parties associated with loyalist paramilitaries, the Progressive Unionist Party (associated with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)) and the Ulster Democratic Party (the political wing of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)). Two were commonly referred to as nationalists: the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Sinn Féin, the Republican Party linked to the Provisional Irish Republican Army. [4] [5] Regardless of these rival traditions, there were two other assembly parties, the Inter-Community Alliance Party and the Northern Ireland Women`s Coalition. There was also the Labour Coalition. U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell was sent by U.S. President Bill Clinton to chair talks between parties and groups.
[6] During negotiations on the UK`s planned withdrawal from the European Union in 2019, the EU prepared a position paper on its concerns about the UK`s support for the Good Friday Agreement during Brexit. The position paper covers issues such as the avoidance of a hard border, North-South cooperation between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the birthright of all northern Irish residents (as defined in the agreement) and the common travel area. [31] [32] Anyone born in Northern Ireland and therefore entitled to an Irish passport under the Good Friday Agreement can retain EU citizenship even after Brexit. [33] In accordance with the European Union`s Brexit negotiating directives, the UK was asked to convince other EU members that these issues had been raised in order to enter the second phase of Brexit negotiations. .
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