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Obama Statement on 10-year Anniversary of the Belfast Agreement

April 09, 2008

Chicago, IL - Senator Obama released the following statement on the 10-year anniversary of the Belfast Agreement.

"On April 10, 2008, we will celebrate 10 years since the political leaders of Northern Ireland signed the Belfast Agreement and thus charted a new way forward after decades of strife. Neither the work for peace nor our responsibility to help achieve it ended with the Agreement. General John de Chastelain continues his efforts to bring about the decommissioning of Loyalist paramilitaries. In 2006, the St. Andrews Agreement allowed the DUP and Sinn Fein to share power. And last year, a devolved Assembly and Executive were formed.

"The people of Northern Ireland are better off than they were ten years ago, but important steps remain. It is important that the devolution of justice occurs very soon, as this would represent tangible evidence of the completion of a remarkable process. And the essential work of reconciliation must continue so that Northern Ireland's people can live together as neighbors instead of being segregated by 'peace walls'.

"Senator Mitchell, the Taoiseach and many of the negotiators of the Agreement will gather in Belfast to celebrate their great achievement. That is as it should be. To their great credit, they are also bringing together future leaders from the United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland so that they can forge relationships that will contribute to stronger ties and a lasting peace.

"I congratulate all of those who had a role in bringing about this historic Agreement and I pledge that that an Obama Administration will remain a friend and partner of the people of Northern Ireland."

Barack Obama, Obama Statement on 10-year Anniversary of the Belfast Agreement Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/291167

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