Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following:“notes that:-- this year marks the fifteenth anniversary of the historic Good Friday Agreement in 1998, which was ratified by an overwhelming majority of citizens in referendums held North and South on 22nd May, 1998; -- this is set out in an internationally binding treaty; -- the Agreement recognises the legitimacy of whatever choice is freely exercised by a majority of the people of Northern Ireland with regard to its constitutional status; -- the Agreement and subsequent agreements, at St. Andrews in 2006 and at Hillsborough Castle in 2010, are premised on the principles of full respect for, and equality of, civil, political, social and cultural rights, of freedom from discrimination for all citizens, of parity of esteem, and of just and equal treatment for all the people in the diversity of their identities and traditions; -- a crucial role was played by all those, both in Ireland and abroad, who worked to bring the conflict to an end, promote the political process and build reconciliation; and -- the Government, as joint and co-equal guarantors of the agreements, is committed to continuing to:-- work to ensure that the agreements are fully implemented; -- engage substantively with the British Government and the parties of the Northern Ireland Assembly to progress outstanding issues, including the establishment of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and an all-Ireland Charter of Rights, a Civic Forum and an Irish language Act for Northern Ireland; -- observe and implement human rights principles across the range of issues set out in the agreements; -- ensure, through working with the British government and the parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly, the acknowledgement of the pain that victims and their families have endured and the accommodations they have made for peace; -- ensure strong and deep cross-Border co-operation on policing, security and justice matters; -- closely co-operate with the Northern Ireland Executive in the framework of the North-South Ministerial Council in support of economic recovery and the provision of public services on a shared basis; -- encourage the Northern Ireland Executive to expedite the review of North-South co-operation as set out in the St. Andrews Agreement, including further development of existing areas of co-operation, additional areas of co-operation on a North-South basis and completion of the consideration of the case for additional implementation bodies; and -- encourage the Northern Ireland Executive and the parties of the Northern Ireland Assembly to continue to work together to develop a strategy for building a shared and reconciled society in Northern Ireland, and to ensure that initiatives and policies to tackle sectarianism and segregation are fully delivered thereafter.”- (Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade).

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