THE NORTHERN IRELAND PEACE PROCESS: POLICING ADVANCES AND REMAINING CHALLENGES JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE AND EMERGING THREATS OF THE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION MARCH 15, 2006 Serial No. 109–152 Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 26–650PDF WASHINGTON : 2006 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Mar 21 2002 11:30 Jun 08, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 F:\WORK\AGI\031506\26650.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa TOM LANTOS, California CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, HOWARD L. BERMAN, California Vice Chairman GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York DAN BURTON, Indiana ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American ELTON GALLEGLY, California Samoa ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey DANA ROHRABACHER, California SHERROD BROWN, Ohio EDWARD R. ROYCE, California BRAD SHERMAN, California PETER T. KING, New York ROBERT WEXLER, Florida STEVE CHABOT, Ohio ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts RON PAUL, Texas GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York DARRELL ISSA, California BARBARA LEE, California JEFF FLAKE, Arizona JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon MARK GREEN, Wisconsin SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada JERRY WELLER, Illinois GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California MIKE PENCE, Indiana ADAM B. SCHIFF, California THADDEUS G. MCCOTTER, Michigan DIANE E. WATSON, California KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida ADAM SMITH, Washington JOE WILSON, South Carolina BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California CONNIE MACK, Florida RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska MICHAEL MCCAUL, Texas TED POE, Texas THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director (II) VerDate Mar 21 2002 11:30 Jun 08, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\031506\26650.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, Chairman THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey JEFF FLAKE, Arizona GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York MARK GREEN, Wisconsin BARBARA LEE, California JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas DIANE E. WATSON, California JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon Vice Chairman MARY M. NOONAN, Subcommittee Staff Director GREG SIMPKINS, Subcommittee Professional Staff Member NOELLE LUSANE, Democratic Professional Staff Member SHERI A. RICKERT, Subcommittee Professional Staff Member and Counsel LINDSEY M. PLUMLEY, Staff Associate SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE AND EMERGING THREATS ELTON GALLEGLY, California, Chairman JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia ROBERT WEXLER, Florida PETER T. KING, New York, Vice Chairman ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York THADDEUS G. McCOTTER, Michigan JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York DARRELL ISSA, California SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada TED POE, Texas GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina ADAM B. SCHIFF, California RICHARD MEREU, Subcommittee Staff Director JONATHAN KATZ, Democratic Professional Staff Member PATRICK PRISCO, Professional Staff Member BEVERLY RAZON, Staff Associate (III) VerDate Mar 21 2002 11:30 Jun 08, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\031506\26650.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL VerDate Mar 21 2002 11:30 Jun 08, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\031506\26650.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL C O N T E N T S Page WITNESSES The Honorable Mitchell B. Reiss, Special Envoy of the President and the Secretary of State for the Northern Ireland Peace Process, U.S. Department of State .................................................................................................................. 9 The Right Honorable Sir Desmond Rea, Chairman, Northern Ireland Policing Board ..................................................................................................................... 23 Ms. Jane Winter, Director, British Irish Rights Watch ....................................... 38 Ms. Archana Pyati, Senior Associate, Human Rights Defenders Program, Human Rights First ............................................................................................. 58 Ms. Maggie Beirne, Director, Committee for the Administration of Justice ...... 65 LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING The Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations: Prepared statement ................ 5 The Honorable Elton Gallegly, a Representative in Congress from the State of California, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats: Prepared statement .............................................................................. 87 The Honorable Mitchell B. Reiss: Prepared statement ........................................ 12 The Right Honorable Sir Desmond Rea and Mr. Denis Bradley, Vice Chair- man, Northern Ireland Policing Board: Prepared statement ........................... 28 Ms. Jane Winter: Prepared statement ................................................................... 44 Ms. Archana Pyati: Prepared statement ............................................................... 60 Ms. Maggie Beirne: Prepared statement ............................................................... 70 (V) VerDate Mar 21 2002 11:30 Jun 08, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\031506\26650.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL VerDate Mar 21 2002 11:30 Jun 08, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\031506\26650.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL THE NORTHERN IRELAND PEACE PROCESS: POLICING ADVANCES AND REMAINING CHALLENGES WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS, AND SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE AND EMERGING THREATS, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, DC. The Subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 2:58 p.m. in room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher H. Smith (Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations) presiding. Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. The Subcommittee will come to order, and good afternoon, everybody. Let me begin at the outset by apologizing for the delay in initi- ating this proceeding. As I think all of you know, the newly-elected President of Liberia just addressed a joint session of Congress. This was not scheduled when this hearing was scheduled. So again, I want to express my apology to our witnesses and to all of you who are here for that delay. First of all, let me begin by saying this hearing will help the United States Congress and the American people better under- stand the current issues in the always-complex situation in North- ern Ireland, and to help guide our efforts as we continue to assist in the realization of a durable peace, and the guarantee of funda- mental human rights in Northern Ireland. The establishment of peace, justice, and prosperity in Northern Ireland, which we all hoped, worked, and prayed for, is still not a reality. There are many encouraging signs, however, but there are also some disturbing ones as well. And we are still not there yet. Today’s hearing, for the record, is my 11th hearing on Northern Ireland in not quite just 9 years, and we will continue to follow the events of Northern Ireland closely and encourage reform for as long as it takes. Let me just say at this point that 7 years ago today, one of our witnesses, Rosemary Nelson, a very distinguished and very brave defense attorney from Northern Ireland who sat, Ambassador Reiss, right where you sat, and gave riveting testimony about how her life was threatened by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). She told all of us when we visited in Belfast that they had threat- (1) VerDate Mar 21 2002 11:30 Jun 08, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\AGI\031506\26650.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL 2 ened her over and over again, through her clients as well as di- rectly, that she would be killed. Sure enough, about 6 months after she testified here on this day, 7 years ago, she was killed by a car bomb. I would like to begin this hearing, frankly, by just offering a mo- ment of prayer and silence for her, for her family, because she was truly a brave and heroic woman. If we could just take a moment of silence. [Pause.] Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Thank you very much. Let me con- tinue by saying that one of the most encouraging developments that we have seen over the last few months is the Irish Republican Army’s (IRA) renunciation of armed struggle, and the decommis- sioning of its weapons, a remarkable step in the path to peace. The IRA must follow through on its proclamations, and cease all crimi- nal activities, as well. The most disturbing factor, however, is the alienation of the Unionist community. The large majority