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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Feb 1974

Vol. 270 No. 7

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Paracel Islands Conflict.

16.

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's position on the recent conflict between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of South Vietnam over the Paracel Islands.

The Paracel Archipelago is one of four groups of islands in the South China sea which historically have been the subject of disputes between China, Vietnam and the Philippines as to their ownership. Until the recent outbreak of hostilities between China and South Vietnam the dispute has been confined to conflicting legal claims.

Ireland as a member of the United Nations is committed to the peaceful settlement of such disputes. Consequently, we would hope that the parties to the dispute would resort to the means available to them under the United Nations Charter for its peaceful resolution.

Has the Minister communicated any view to the Governments involved or to the United Nations on our attitude to this because it is rather similar to events which occurred in other parts of the world since that? Does the Minister accept that there is the example of the Philippine Islands annexing islands which have the same strategic importance as this one? There is also the position of Rockall. Does the Minister not think there should be a common approach to them all?

The common approach is that an armed dispute should not take place and that the matter go to the United Nations to be settled. On the question of the relative validity of claims, we have not attempted to assess them and to communicate our views to the parties who might not welcome such an initiative on our part.

Would the Minister not accept that where people insist on their claim by armed force that would be unacceptable to our Government?

Will the Government express a view to that effect?

There is difficulty in some instances in being sure as to who is responsible for the outbreak of hostilities. It might be unwise for us to involve ourselves in disputes in other parts of the world by trying to give our view of what happened there when this is not at all clear.

I suggest that the Minister's prudence is not entirely consistent with the Minister's concern for events that happened around the world when he was in Opposition.

I think it is reasonably consistent. I do not recall proposing to the Government that they should involve themselves in disputes of this kind around the world.

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