asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the further action and representations he has made regarding the repression in El Salvador; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Written Answers. - El Salvador Representations.
9.
The Deputy may be assured that the Government are always willing to act on the situation in El Salvador as the opportunity arises to do so. As recently as last week our United Nations delegation in New York was active in making representations on behalf of five opposition leaders who recently disappeared and are believed to be prisoners of the Government in El Salvador. In addition we expect to be actively involved, as we have been in the last few years, in deliberations on El Salvador during the current session of the General Assembly.
In my statement to the United Nations General Assembly on 30 September I made the following relevant comments:
The Irish Government and people are also concerned at the instability, the violence and the violation of human rights in Central America. We are convinced that it is necessary to remedy the underlying economic and social causes of the tensions in the area; to end all foreign interference; and to seek political solutions to conflicts in the area through dialogue and negotiations.
In the Human Rights section of my speech I expressed the abhorrence of the Irish people at the massacres of large numbers of innocent civilians which have taken place recently in El Salvador as well as in Guatemala and Lebanon.