WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, St. Patrick’s Day, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) renewed his call for lasting peace in Northern Ireland, as initiated by the Good Friday Peace Accords.
Dodd, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a third-generation Irish-American, will meet this week with Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen; Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland; and Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, the second-largest political party in Northern Ireland.
“The progress made towards peace reflects tireless work and tremendous courage on the part of many people,” said Dodd. “And on this St. Patrick’s Day, we are closer than ever to success. Participating in this historic effort to break through political stalemate and end violence has been one of the great honors of my career. In my final months in the Senate and beyond, I will continue to stand with President Obama and statesmen throughout the region to uphold the progress we have made and build a lasting peace for Northern Ireland.”
Dodd will also join President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, and leaders from Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain, among others, today at the Annual Friends of Ireland luncheon hosted by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Throughout his 36-year career in Congress, Dodd has worked closely with the late Senator Ted Kennedy, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, and President Bill Clinton to help facilitate the Good Friday Peace Accords and bring lasting peace to Northern Ireland.
Senator Dodd originally encouraged American involvement by urging President Clinton to speak directly with Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams. Dodd then accompanied President Clinton to Northern Ireland in 1995. Clinton was the first American president to visit Northern Ireland.
