08 April 2003
Bush, Blair, Ahern Affirm Commitment to Northern Ireland Peace Accord
(Release joint statment during trilateral talks in Belfast) (520)
The United States, Britain and Ireland have affirmed their individual
and collective commitment to implementing the Good Friday Agreement to
bring peace to Northern Ireland, and will support effective monitoring
arrangements and will explore ways to encourage the flow of investment
to the area.
Following is the joint statement issued April 8 in Belfast by
President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Irish Prime
Minister Bertie Ahern:
(begin text)
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
(Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom)
April 8, 2003
JOINT STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH AND PRIME MINISTERS TONY
BLAIR AND BERTIE AHERN ON NORTHERN IRELAND
We affirm our individual and collective commitment to the Good Friday
Agreement and to its full and complete implementation. The people of
Northern Ireland and their leaders have a momentous opportunity to
ensure that peace is strengthened and political stability secured.
The opportunity to cement the peace is historic. The case is
compelling; the cause just; the outcome must be fair, balanced, and
comprehensive. The acceptance and implementation of the Governments'
forthcoming proposals would promote the reconciliation that the people
of Northern Ireland desire and deserve.
These proposals, built on the firm ground of the Good Friday
Agreement, hold out the prospect of enormous progress. They reflect
our shared view that there can be no place in Northern Ireland for
paramilitary activity and capability. The break with paramilitarism in
all its past forms must be complete and irrevocable. The proposals
will encompass a wide range of additional issues, including
normalization, the devolution of justice and policing, sustainable
political institutions, and human rights. The participation of all
parties in effective community policing, a necessary key to long term
stability in Northern Ireland, would constitute a significant step
forward. There will be a need for a mechanism, one designed to
safeguard the interests and rights of all, to verify compliance with
the key undertakings. All three Governments are committed to
supporting effective monitoring arrangements. Acts of completion, and
a reaffirmation that political change is to come through exclusively
peaceful and democratic means, will renew and expand trust and
confidence.
Peace is its own dividend. At the same time, peace fosters an
environment where entrepreneurship and business creativity can thrive,
where jobs will be created, and where prosperity will follow. Our
governments have agreed to work together to explore ways to encourage
the flow of investment to Northern Ireland.
We call upon Northern Ireland's political representatives, community
and business leaders, and citizens from all walks of life to respond
positively to the forthcoming statements. We see no better way to
fulfill the promise of the Good Friday Agreement. They have an
unprecedented chance to continue their bold march from a troubled past
to a future of promise and hope for generations to come. In seizing
this opportunity, Northern Ireland will serve as a model to the world
for dialogue and negotiation, demonstrating to all that what was once
divided can be drawn together in a spirit of reconciliation and
respect.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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