Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government commits that the Government will actively fulfil its mandate as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. Today marks the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. That agreement has delivered peace and fundamentally changed relationships across Ireland and the relationship with Britain. It promised power sharing, equality and the potential for constitutional change, and it was endorsed by the vast majority of people. Sinn Féin supports the provisions of the agreements. We meet our obligations under the agreements. Unfortunately, there are those who continue to oppose the agreement, but they cannot be allowed to undermine the hopes of all who share this island. The DUP, as we know, never signed up to the Good Friday Agreement and consistently opposes equality. The British Government is imposing Brexit and is refusing to honour its obligations under the agreements. The Good Friday Agreement and its institutions are being actively undermined by the actions of an irresponsible British Government and a reckless DUP.

The agreement is an international one between two sovereign governments. What steps is the Government taking to ensure the legal obligations of the British Government will be honoured and the hopes of a generation realised? Will the Government convene the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to map a way forward consistent with the Good Friday Agreement?

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