asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the worsening and critical situation for the Christian population in the Lebanon, he will make an intervention in the matter.
Written Answers. - Lebanon Christian Population.
22.
The situation in the Lebanon is one which has had tragic consequences for the Lebanese people themselves and which presents serious dangers for the whole Middle East region.
For these reasons it has been a matter on which we, like our partners in the European Community, have felt great concern for some time and where we would wish, if we could do so, to be of help. As the Deputy will know, France, one of our partners in the Nine, sent a former Prime Minister, M. Couve de Murville, to the Lebanon as a special envoy in November of last year in order to see whether it might be possible to undertake a mediation effort and restore intercommunal harmony and it continues to keep in touch with the situation. Pope Paul also sent a special representative to the Lebanon in November last. More recently the United States of America has sent a special envoy; Syria, and other neighbours of the Lebanon have been very active in seeking a solution; and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, exercising his powers under article 99 of the UN Charter, brought the issue to the attention of the Security Council on 30th March.
Despite all of these efforts violence has continued in the Lebanon. The situation there, like that in other cases of intercommunal conflict is an extremely complex one. Because of this I feel that there is little that Ireland as an individual country at a considerable distance from the region could do to be of help. I can assure the Deputy, however, that in consultation with our partners in the Nine we will continue to follow developments with concern and with a view to seeing whether there is anything we or our partners can do to help the Lebanese people to find a solution to the tragic conflict in their country.