Senator George Mitchell:

It will require a functioning Northern Ireland government to pursue that, and that is just one more reason it is incumbent on the current leaders of Northern Ireland, Ireland and the United Kingdom to try to resolve matters. They are now engaged in what is a deeply complex set of issues, many of which have been mentioned. I cannot do any more than stress what I believe to be the importance, indeed crucial significance, of broadening the education and understanding of young people in terms of their society in relation to others that will enable them to make the right choices when the time comes for them either to vote or to participate actively in governance and to try to bring all of society forward in a positive way.

Deputy Conway-Walsh hit on a very important and crucial issue. I strongly support student exchanges. My own daughter, who is in college, spent her last semester in London. She is a student at New York University, and it has a campus in London. She felt it was a tremendous experience for her. That was not a conflict situation. The United States has very good relations with the United Kingdom, as it does with Ireland, but just being in a different place, a different society, with different standards and attitudes was a great learning experience. That is compounded, given the history and nature of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the separation and what has occurred. I cannot do any more than say that I strongly support the efforts the committee is undertaking and would do anything I could personally to advance that. It is one more reason for re-establishing direct and effective rule by the people of Northern Ireland for the people of Northern Ireland.