President Bush has approved documents of certification to lift congressional restrictions on federal law enforcement training for the recently established Police Service of Northern Ireland, according to the following December 7 State Department statement:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
December 7, 2001

Statement by Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman
Certification for the New Police Service of Northern Ireland

On December 7, 2001, President Bush approved documents of certification to lift congressional restrictions on federal law enforcement training for the recently established Police Service of Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland offers a new beginning to law enforcement in Northern Ireland -- substantiated this week by the positive report of the Oversight Commission for Policing Reform.

The establishment of the Police Service of Northern Ireland marks a significant milestone in the Northern Ireland peace process and provides additional tangible evidence that the Good Friday Agreement is delivering a lasting peace to the citizens of Northern Ireland. We are pleased that cooperation and training with U.S. law enforcement entities, including the FBI, will contribute to that process and to the prospects of peace.

Background: On November 4, 2001, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) replaced the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) as the central law enforcement agency of Northern Ireland. In the fall of 1999, Congress imposed conditions on the FBI or other law enforcement training for the RUC in section 405 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, FY 2000 and 2001.

The law requires that no training be offered until the President provides a report on previous training for the RUC and certification that U.S. training and exchange programs are needed to improve the professionalism of policing in Northern Ireland. Also included in this certification is a statement that human rights will be part of the curriculum of training programs, a vetting procedure is in place to ensure that individuals suspected of human rights violations do not receive training, and the UK and Irish governments are committed to assisting in the implementation of the Patten Commission report on police reform in Northern Ireland.

Future training can include participation in courses offered through the FBI National Academy or the Joint Leadership Development Program which was designed specifically to improve interaction between the police forces of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Tom Constantine, head of the Oversight Commission for Policing Reform, issued the third report on reform developments on Tuesday, Dec. 4 and said that "an excellent start has been made."

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)