The Ad Hoc Committee welcomes the DUP decision to return to Stormont. The devolved assembly is a key part of the Good Friday Agreement, and it must function at all times to be effective. We hope that this is the beginning of a successful period of Stormont governance through which the challenges faced by the people of Northern Ireland will be constructively addressed.”
Stormont Executive to be Stood Up
Former Congressman Bruce Morrison, (Conn. D) co-chair of the Committee stated “The Ad Hoc Committee welcomes the DUP decision to return to Stormont. The devolved assembly is a key part of the Good Friday Agreement, and it must function at all times to be effective. We hope that this is the beginning of a successful period of Stormont governance through which the challenges faced by the people of Northern Ireland will be constructively addressed.”
Morrison was joined by former Congressman Jim Walsh (New York- R) and co-chair of the Ad Hoc Committee in praising the decision to stand up the Northern Ireland Executive,” We are more than pleased for the people of Northern Ireland that Stormont is to be restored. Restoring the Executive should be the first step in fully implementing all the strands of the GFA/Belfast Agreement. We will be meeting with the House of Commons Committee on Northern Ireland next week and we look forward to meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Christopher Heaton Harris again who has been tenacious in getting the deal done.
The Ad Hoc Committee was formed over five years ago by leading American political leaders and diplomats who have a long established history of supporting the peace process in Northern Ireland. The group includes five former U.S. Ambassadors and three Presidential Representatives to Northern Ireland as well as leaders of Irish American organizations. The Committee is bi-partisan and co-chaired by former Republican Congressman James Walsh and by former Democratic Congressman Bruce Morrison.
The Committee is in regular contact with Irish and British diplomats and key members of the National Security Council and the U.S. State Department. The Committee has closely monitored UK/EU Brexit negotiations over the years and is actively opposed the legacy legislation put forward by the Northern Ireland Secretary of State based on our direct conversations with victims and survivors of the Troubles. The Committee takes no formal position on the issue of Irish unity.
For immediate release
contact: Kevin J. Sullivan
January 30, 2024
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