Deputy Proinsias De Rossa and Deputy R. Burke have been allowed Private Notice Questions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in that order on the same topic. I presume the questions are being asked together. Will Deputy De Rossa please read his question.
Private Notice Questions. - Kidnapping of Irish UN Official.
I wish to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the serious public concern arising from the kidnapping of the Irish United Nations official, Mr. Aidan Walsh, in Lebanon; if the Government have been in touch with the United Nations or the Lebanese Government about the kidnapping; the measures the Government are taking to help secure the release of Mr. Walsh and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Will Deputy Burke please read his question.
I wish to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will inform the House as to the action he has taken to establish the whereabouts and safety and to obtain the early release of Mr. Aidan Walsh, the Irish Deputy Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Beirut.
Deputies will have heard with regret of the kidnapping in Beirut yesterday morning of Mr. Aidan Walsh, Deputy Director of UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency which was established in 1949 to assist Palestinian refugees. The Government are extremely concerned and appalled at this action against an Irishman working for an international organisation whose only role is the provision of humanitarian assistance to refugees in Lebanon and every effort is being made to secure Mr. Walsh's release. For the information of the House, the following are the facts of the kidnapping as conveyed to me by our Ambassador in Beirut and by UNRWA.
The kidnapping occurred at 7.15 a.m. local time, on the morning of 15 May while Mr. Walsh was being driven to work. His car was stopped in Raouche in West Beirut close to where he was living by two other cars with eight armed men. They broke the windscreen of the car, pointed a gun at the head of the driver and took away Mr. Walsh. The driver, a Palestinian, was not taken. Up to the present time no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
Every effort is being made by both UNRWA, which has primary responsibility for Mr. Walsh's safety, and by our embassy in Beirut to obtain Mr. Walsh's release. Contact has been made by the embassy with the Lebanese Government and with as many as possible of the militia groups operating in West Beirut. These efforts are continuing. The groups contacted so far have denied any knowledge of Mr. Walsh's whereabouts. In the situation that prevails in West Beirut at present, where renewed intercommunal fighting has been taking place for the last three weeks, it is not useful at this stage to speculate about which group is responsible for or the motivation for Mr. Walsh's kidnapping.
The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Mr. Karami, telephoned our Ambassador in Beirut this morning to express his regret and sorrow at the kidnapping of Mr. Walsh and assured him that they were taking every step they could to have Mr. Walsh found and released. Our Permanent Representative to the United Nations has been in touch with the Secretary General of the United Nations who himself has expressed his concern and outrage at Mr. Walsh's kidnapping.
As Deputies will be aware, kidnappings of foreign nationals are a frequent occurrence in Beirut. This, however, is the first occasion on which an Irish citizen has been kidnapped. At this stage it is assumed that his kidnapping relates to his position as deputy director of UNRWA rather than to his nationality and there is no reason to believe that other Irish citizens in Lebanon are in greater danger than they have been in up to now. No threats have been made against Irish citizens or embassy staff in Lebanon and there is general goodwiLl towards the Irish in that country, particularly because of our participation in UNIFIL. Nevertheless, officers of our embassy in Beirut are taking precautions for their safety.
Mr. Walsh is the second UNRWA official to be kidnapped in recent months. On 25 March, a British UNRWA official, Mr. Alec Collett, was kidnapped and is still being held. A video of Mr. Collett has recently been sent to the UN which indicated that he was still alive and in good health. We have, of course, been in contact with the authorities of the UK and of other countries whose nationals have been kidnapped in Beirut.
Can the Minister say if there is any clear indication or even a suspicion as to which group may be involved in the kidnapping? Does he consider there are any steps which the Government can take directly to secure the release of Mr. Walsh? In addition, will he state if there are any steps being taken by the United Nations to protect their officials who are involved in aid work in Beirut and in Lebanon in general?
The answer to the first part of the question is no. We have no indication or suspicion of who is involved. I understand that within the last hour the PLO issued a statement saying they had no responsibility for or any knowledge of what occurred yesterday morning. I have not seen the statement. I have just heard about it in the past few minutes. Of course we have been in touch with the United Nations. We have an extremely good embassy staff in Beirut who have many contacts in the city and these officials have been endeavouring to make contact with individual groups in Lebanon to find out if we can get any information regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Walsh. So far we have been unsuccessful in that regard. The United Nations take precautions. They are extremely concerned for the safety of their employees in Lebanon and they have provided what protection they think necessary in the situation. They have also provided advice regarding the various officials and their families who are stationed in Lebanon.
I am glad this House has given an opportunity to the Minister to come here and inform us officially with regard to the situation. I accept that he is bound to have only limited knowledge available to him now. The fact that this matter is being discussed here highlights internationally the concern of all Irish people with regard to the kidnapping of Mr. Walsh and for his family in Ireland. I know that the Minister will continue with his efforts in this matter. He can be assured of the full support of this side of the House in whatever efforts he has to make. Perhaps through our embassy he would re-establish contact with the Lebanese Government and with the other militia in the area and inform them of the unanimous concern of the Members of this House, representing the Irish people, regarding the treatment of our citizen, Mr. Walsh. I know the Minister will join with me in hoping that Mr. Walsh is in good health and will be released as soon as possible.
The House can be assured the Government will make every possible effort to ensure that Mr. Walsh is released as soon as possible. I believe it was as a result of the strong representations we made to the Lebanese Government that the Prime Minister rang our Ambassador this morning to convey his abhorrence at what had occurred yesterday. As I said, we have extremely good officers in the embassy in Beirut and they have many local connections. Through them we are trying to establish whatever contact is possible with the various groups in the city to get any information regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Walsh. We will not let up on our efforts in that regard.
With the permission of the Chair, I wish to raise on the Adjournment the proposal for a national waste disposal centre at Baldonnel, County Dublin.
I hope the Deputy is in time. If she is, certainly I will communicate with her.