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November 15, 2005

IAUC Panel Agenda & Bios of Participants

Irish American Unity Conference

Panel Discussion on the Future of the
Peace Process in Ireland
http://www.iauc.org/peacepanel2005.htm

Georgetown University Law Center
Washington, DC

Friday, November 18, 2005
November 18, 2005
----

AGENDA
IRISH PEACE PROCESS PANEL DISCUSSION

Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC
Friday, November 18, 2005 from 9 a.m. - Noon

WHO'S AFRAID OF THE G.F.A.?

A panel discussion on the fulfillment of promises heralded
by the historic Good Friday Agreement, and the future
direction of the Irish Peace Process.

PANEL ONE 9:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.

Moderator: The Honorable Bruce Morrison
Former U.S. Congressman and Presidential Advisor on the
Irish Peace Process

Topic: The Democratic Institutions: Monolith or Mirage?

Panelists will discuss the future for the currently
moribund Assembly and the other bi-lateral Ministerial and
Intergovernmental Councils contemplated in Strands One, Two
and Three of the Good Friday Agreement ("GFA"), as well as
the GFA's Decommissioning and Security articles and their
effect on the implementation of the GFA democratic
structures.

Panelists:

1. Andrew D. Sens: Commissioner, Independent International
Commission on Decommissioning
2. Orla O'Hanrahan: Political Counsellor, Embassy of
Ireland
3. Andrew Pike: Consul of Northern Ireland, British Embassy
4. Michael Gallagher: United States State Department
5. Dr. Stephen Farry: U.S. Institute of Peace; General
Secretary of the Alliance Party
6. Alex Maskey: Former Mayor of Belfast and Sinn Fein
Councillor
7. Alasdair McDonnell MP MLA: Deputy Leader of the
Socialist Democratic Labour Party
8. Anne Porter: Director, Ulster Unionist Party, North
American Bureau
9. Reserved for PUP, DUP representative or the Adhoc
Committee on Irish Affairs and Friends of Ireland groups in
Congress

BREAK: 10:20 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

PANEL TWO 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Moderator: Edmund E. Lynch, Esquire
Certified Civil Trial Attorney & President, Alliance for
Justice in Ireland

Topic: Rights, Safeguards & Equality: Perception and
Reality

Panelists will discuss those provisions in the GFA which
address:

- Policing and Justice
- Human Rights
- Reconciliation and Victims of Violence
- Economic and Cultural Development
- Monitoring of Ceasefires
- Reintegration of Prisoners
- Local and International Media coverage of these issues

Panelists:

1. Alex Maskey: Former Mayor of Belfast and Sinn Fein
Councillor
2. Anne Porter: Director, Ulster Unionist Party, North
American Bureau
3. Alasdair McDonnell MP MLA: Deputy Leader of the
Socialist Democratic Labour Party
4. Dr. Robert C. Linnon: National President, Irish American
Unity Conference
5. Paul O'Connor: Pat Finucane Center
6. Father Sean McManus: President, Irish National Caucus
7. Sean T. Kean; U.S. Republican Party Member of the New
Jersey General Assembly
8. Robin Livingstone; Director & Editor, Daily Ireland News
9. Dominic Martin; Press and Public Affairs for the
British Embassy

IRISH PEACE PROCESS PANEL DISCUSSION

Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC
Friday, November 18, 2005 from 9 a.m. - Noon

+++++++++++++++++

Bios:

MODERATORS:

BRUCE MORRISON

Former US Democratic Party Congressman and advisor to
Clinton's administration regarding Irish peace process
initiatives

While in Congress, Bruce Morrison worked on human rights
advocacy in many areas of the world, including Chile,
Central America, South Africa, Haiti, Paraguay, and the
Middle East. Through his interest in human rights, he
became involved in Northern Ireland, where he first visited
in 1987. After leaving Congress to run for Governor of
Connecticut in 1990, he established a law firm specializing
in immigration representation of firms and individuals. He
also served from 1992 to 1997 on the U.S. Commission on
Immigration Reform, which conducted a comprehensive study
of U.S. immigration law. Since 1991,

Mr. Morrison has traveled frequently to Northern Ireland
and has been involved in many aspects of the Peace Process.
In 1992, he advised Bill Clinton, while a Presidential
candidate, on issues related to Northern Ireland. He
continued to provide advice and information to the Clinton
White House from 1993 to 2001, including assistance on
negotiations leading to IRA cessations in 1994 and 1997.
----

ED LYNCH, Esquire

National Coordinator
Lawyers Alliance for Justice in Ireland

Civil trial attorney in Denville, NJ. National Coordinator
of the Lawyers Alliance for Justice in Ireland, a non-
profit group of American lawyers, judges and related
professionals committed to promoting justice in Ireland.
The group seeks change to Ireland's justice system by
publicizing human rights abuses and by applying political
pressure. Has led fact-finding teams to Belfast and in
1983 submitted a report to the United Nations requesting
further study into the country's justice and prison
systems. Investigates harsh interrogation cases, torture
and prison conditions. An outspoken defender of
minorities, indigent defendants and political prisoners.
In 1963, Ed Lynch taught in Nazareth, Ethiopia for the
United States Peace Corps. A member of the New Jersey
State Bar Association's Certified Trial Attorneys Section
and Federal Practice and Procedure Section. Served as a
member of the Supreme Court Committee on Pre-Trial
Intervention and the American Bar Associations Section of
Individual Rights and Responsibilities. Serves as a Judge,
Arbitrator and Moderator on several conferences, Moot Court
and Mock Trial competitions and has lectured at many
notable universities.

PANELISTS:

DR. STEPHEN FARRY

Senior Fellow, US Institute of Peace and General Secretary,
Alliance Party

Stephen Farry is a Senior Fellow with the United States
Institute of Peace, working on 'Inside Out: An Integrative
Critique of the Northern Ireland Peace Process'. He is on
sabbatical leave of absence as General Secretary of the
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. He serves as the
Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson and has been involved
in political negotiations in Northern Ireland since 1996.
Member of North Down Borough Council since 1993, including
a term as Deputy Mayor 2002-2003. Served 13 years on North
Down Borough Council. Mr. Farry has been a member of the
Alliance Party for 14 years; he is its General Secretary,
its Policy Officer and a member of its talks negotiating
team. Stephen is a member of the Academic Council on the
United Nations System and Liberal International.
----

MICHAEL GALLAGHER

Director for Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands and
United Kingdom Affairs
US State Department

Michael Gallagher is a member of the United States Senior
Foreign Service. He is currently the Director for Belgium,
Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and United Kingdom
Affairs at the Department of State in Washington, D.C.
Most of his experience has involved international economic
affairs or conflict resolution. He served as head of
economics at the US Embassy Ottawa, the US Mission to the
UN in New York, and the US Mission to the EU in Brussels.
He had first hand experience in conflict resolution at the
UN, when he served at the Office of the High Representative
in Sarajevo as head of the Political Unit, or helped shape
economic policies toward Indonesia where he served at the
American Embassy under World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz.
Earlier in his career he was US Consul General in
Vancouver. Other tours of duty included Abidjan, Tunis,
London, and in Washington he managed relations with Zaire,
or economic issues with OECD partners. He was an artillery
officer in the US Army in Germany, graduated from La Salle
University (BA Literature) and Temple University (MBA
Finance), studied graduate economics at Princeton and the
University of London, and is graduate of Canada's National
Defence College. He has also taught economics and business
at several universities, and has worked in the private
sector in financial management positions.
----

SEAN T. KEAN

US Republican Party Member
New Jersey General Assembly

Assemblyman Sean T. Kean graduated from Seton Hall
University in 1988, received a master's degree from
Columbia University in 1992, and Seton Hall University Law
School in 1995. He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in
1996. The Assemblyman works as an attorney in private
practice and has served as treasurer, secretary and
president of the Allaire County Club Estates Board of
Trustees. He is a member of the Brookdale Community College
Irish Heritage Series Advisory Council, Mid-Jersey Chapter
of The Irish American Unity Conference, the Wall Township-
Asbury Parks Elks, and the Community Advisory Board of the
Monmouth County Historical Association. He also serves on
the Advisory Board of Asbury Park Corps of The Salvation
Army, the Prevention First Leadership Cabinet, the Board of
Directors of the SCAN Learning Center and is an Honorary
Director of the Jersey Shore Performing Arts Center.
----

DR. ROBERT C. LINNON
National President
Irish American Unity Conference

Dr. Robert C. Linnon, received his Ph.D. from Ohio State
University and taught at Seton Hall for twenty years before
retiring. Bob joined the Irish American Unity Conference
in the year it was established, 1983 and was the founding
president of the North Jersey Chapter the same year. He
became National President in 1987 and served in that
capacity until 1995. During his tenure he established
excellent contacts on Capitol Hill. He was successful in
having three Congressional hearings on discrimination in
the North of Ireland and was instrumental in the MacBride
Principles campaign to achieve fair employment practices in
the work place. Dr. Linnon also made many trips to the
North of Ireland taking legislators to see first hand the
abuses of the British in the area. He was re-elected as
National President of the Irish American Unity Conference
in October, 2005.
----


ROBIN LIVINGSTONE
Director & Editor, Daily Ireland News

Robin Livingstone is a Director and Editor of the Daily
Ireland and Andersonstown News Groups in Belfast where he
has worked as a reporter on the Belfast beat through some
of the most violent and historic periods of Irish history.
In August 1969, the Livingstone family were burned out of
their home off Divis Street by a loyalist mob. Robin's
father came from a Scots Presbyterian background, but his
experiences led him to become an ardent Republican. Two of
his sons, Pat and Martin, served 19 and 17 years
respectively for IRA attacks on British forces. The
youngest of the Livingstone children, Julie, was shot dead
by the British Army in 1981 aged just 14. A coroner's court
later ruled that she was an innocent victim, but no member
of the British Army was ever questioned about the murder.
Robin is particularly proud of the role that his paper has
played in championing the peace process. He believes that
current widespread unrest among the unionist community
signals the final throes of partition in Ireland. He
remains convinced that generosity of spirit and inclusivity
must be displayed towards unionists on the final stage of
the journey towards a new Ireland.
----

DOMINIC MARTIN

Press and Public Affairs
for the British Embassy

Dominic Martin has been Counsellor at the British Embassy
Washington, responsible for Political and Public Affairs,
since August 2004. Dominic was educated at Oriel College,
Oxford and joined the British Diplomatic Service in 1987.
Dominic's career has focused on South Asian issues. He has
served in New Delhi (India) twice, at the end of the 1980s
and from 2001 to 2004. Before his last posting to India,
Dominic coordinated the UK position in the negotiations on
the enlargement of the European Union to include the
countries from Central and Eastern Europe. Dominic also
served in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in the mid- 1990s.
Dominic is married to Emily, who is also a Diplomatic
Service Officer. They have three daughters (Daisy, Gabriela
and Madeleine) who attend the French School in Bethesda,
Maryland.
----

ALEX MASKEY

Former Mayor of Belfast
and Sinn Fein Councillor

Alex Maskey is from Andersonstown in West Belfast.
Following the outbreak of civil unrest in Northern Ireland
after 1969, Maskey became involved in Republican activities
and was interned on two occasions. He has overcome two
attempts on his life by loyalist paramilitaries and
continues to be both a committed community activist and a
senior negotiator for the party. As a close ally of Gerry
Adams, President of Sinn Féin, he actively supported the
moves to develop the Republican movement's electoral
mandate. In 1983, he became the first Sinn Féin councillor
elected to Belfast City Council. In May 1996, Maskey was
elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for the constituency
of West Belfast and was subsequently a member of the SF
delegation at the all-party talks that were to produce the
Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in April 1998. He was elected
as the first Republican Mayor of Belfast in 2002 and was
widely acclaimed for the inclusive approach he adopted in
carrying out his role. Elected MLA for the constituency of
South Belfast in November 2003-present.
----

ALASDAIR McDONNELL

Deputy Leader
Socialist Democratic Labour Party

Alasdair McDonnell is Deputy Leader of the Socialist
Democratic Labour Party (SDLP). He is also a part-time
family doctor in the Ormeau Road area. Elected for many
years to Belfast City Council as a councillor for Lagan
Bank, he retired from the City Council in 2001 to
concentrate on Assembly duties. Alasdair has stood as a
Parliamentary Candidate in 1979, 1982 (by-election), 1983,
1987, 1992 and 1997 elections. He was elected to the Inter-
Party Talks for South Belfast in May 1996 and he was
elected to the Assembly in 1998, topping the poll in South
Belfast. He is Party Spokesperson on Enterprise Trade &
Investment and Europe. Alasdair is a former Chairman of
the Economic Development Sub-committee of Belfast City
Council, which continues to spearhead a number of economic
regeneration projects across Belfast.
----

FATHER SEAN McMANUS

President, Irish National Caucus

Father Sean Mc Manus, President of the Washington-based
Irish National Caucus, was born February 6, 1944 in the
townland of Clonliff, in the parish of Kinawley, Co.
Fermanagh (near the Cavan border). He studied for the
priesthood in England and was ordained in 1968; he went to
the United States on October 2, 1972; he founded the Irish
National Caucus on February 6, 1974. The Caucus is
nonviolent and has no foreign principal. The Irish
National Caucus opened its Office on Capitol Hill on
International Human Rights Day, December 10, 1978. Since
that time the Irish National Caucus has been in the
forefront of getting America to stand up for equality,
justice and peace in Ireland. Congressman Ben Gilman (R. -
NY), former Chairman of the House International Relations
Committee, has said: " No one has done more than Father Mc
Manus to keep the U.S. Congress on track regarding justice
and peace in Ireland". During the past 30 years, the
fingerprints of Father Mc Manus are over every piece of
Congressional action on Ireland".
----

PAUL O'CONNOR

Patrick Finucane Centre

Paul O'Connor heads the Pat Finucane Centre based in Derry,
Ireland. The Centre advocates human rights and encourages
political development and social change in Ireland. The
Centre promotes a nonviolent ethos and actively works to
build alliances with groups and individuals within the
radical and progressive wings of Irish politics. The centre
believes that the attainment of human, political cultural
and economic rights can only be achieved within the context
of active self-determination involving all the Irish
people. The Centre also acts as a contact address for
Relatives for Justice and the Campaign for the Right to
Truth. The Centre organizes the annual Bloody Sunday
commemoration in Derry. It is also involved in promoting
activity around a range of important, sometimes
controversial issues, such as policing, engagement between
Unionists and Nationalists and developing radical and
progressive social and economic agenda within community,
women's and trade union groups.
----

ORLA O'HANRAHAN

Political Counsellor
Embassy of Ireland

Orla O'Hanrahan, a native of Dublin, was appointed
Political Counsellor at the Irish Embassy in Washington DC
in August, 2005. Educated at Santa Sabina Dominican High
School and Trinity College, Dublin, graduating in 1979, she
entered the Department of Foreign Affairs as Third
Secretary. In 1982, assigned to the Irish Embassy in
London where she worked as Irish Community liaison officer
until 1986. From 1987-1989, served as Private Secretary to
the then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister,
followed by the Secretariat of the newly formed British-
Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body. From 1990-1995, First
Secretary of the Irish Embassy in Paris. Returned to
Dublin, where she was seconded to the Department of the
Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and appointed as Press Officer
to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. In 1997, Orla
was Irish

Consul-General in Boston. In 2002, worked as Counsellor
for the Department of Foreign Affairs and was appointed to
the post of Joint Director-General of the International
Fund for Ireland (IFI) which promotes economic regeneration
and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border
counties. In 2004, named Press Officer for Department of
Foreign Affairs and served as spokesperson for the Foreign
Minister for the Middle East and North Africa.
----

ANDREW PIKE

Consul of Northern Ireland
British Embassy

Andrew Pike, based at the British Consulate General in New
York, looks after Northern Irish affairs for the British
government across North America. His responsibilities
encompass liaison with the US government, the Hill, the US
media, opinion formers and the academic community on all
matters related to Northern Ireland, but with particular
emphasis on the peace process and political development.
He has been in his present position since January 2004 and
expects to remain in his post until mid 2008. Immediately
before arriving in the US, Andrew worked as Head of Press,
Publicity and PR for England at the BBC. Prior to that, he
completed a number of overseas postings as a member of the
British Diplomatic Service all over the world from the
Middle East to the South Pacific. His last diplomatic
posting, from 1998-2002 was as press and political officer
in Dublin.
----

ANNE PORTER

Director, Ulster Unionist Party
North American Bureau

Anne Porter, a US citizen originally from North-East
Scotland, was appointed in 1995 to staff the Ulster
Unionist North American Bureau. The Bureau opened in
September 1995. Their aim was to establish an Ulster
Unionist Party (UUP) presence in an area of vital
importance to Northern Ireland and to ensure UUP
participation in the British-Irish-American dialogue that
ultimately led to the all-party talks and the Belfast
Agreement of 1998. Anne Porter is the liaison with the US
administration, State Department, Congress, media, and with
UK and Irish Embassies, Consulates in the USA and Canada
Media interviews, CNN, BBC, etc. Primary responsibilities
include monitoring and responding to articles in US press,
media activities, statements of Irish-American
organizations and activities of Congressional Ad-Hoc
Committee on Irish Affairs. Responding to Irish-American
initiatives vis-à-vis US policy in N. Ireland and making
presentations to colleges. The UUP North American Bureau
also arranges and participates in party visits to the US
and maintains a network of private and public contacts in
Washington DC and across the USA.
----

ANDREW D SENS

Commissioner, Independent International Commission on
Decommissioning

Mr. Sens has a BA from Hope College, an MA from American
University and an MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School of
Government. In July, 1999, was nominated by the U.S.
government to serve as a member of the Independent
International Commission on Decommissioning. His
appointment to the Commission was made jointly by the
British and Irish government. Prior to this appointment,
he was statutory head of the 180 member staff of the
National Security Council in Washington, DC. Served as a
Senior Foreign and Defense Policy Aid and National Security
Advisor to President Bill Clinton. His first diplomatic
assignment was in 1966, as Third Secretary at the American
Embassy in Kampala. In 1979, in Washington for
consultations when student activists seized the embassy in
Tehran, assigned Deputy Director of the Interagency Task
Force to manage the U.S. response to the crisis. He has
served in several diplomatic posts in Bordeaux, Oslo,
Tehran, Islamabad and Buenos Aires. Deputy Director of the
State Department office responsible for implementing the
Algiers accords resolving financial claims between the U.S.
and Iran.
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