With regard to the Deputy's last point, I should like to tell him that I will give the Deputy a copy of my statement immediately.
This day last week I addressed the Dáil and expressed my concern at the reported remarks of Major General Ahmed Jalloud about renewing Libyan support for the IRA. As I indicated then, any foreign Government that supports the activities of the Provisional IRA — morally or materially — is behaving in an unfriendly way.
Our Embassy in Rome was instructed to make an immediate demarche to the Libyan authorities. I can now inform the Dáil that this action has been taken, and we are continuing our discussions with the Libyan Government with a view to obtaining the appropriate assurances.
On June 18 I instructed our Ambassador in Rome to make an approach to the Libyan People's Bureau at Rome and to follow this up by an urgent visit to Tripoli. The Ambassador was asked to express our grave concern about any support or renewal of support by Libya for the Provisional IRA. I instructed him to say that the IRA is the enemy of the Irish State and of the democratically elected institution of this State: in such circumstances, we regard Libyan Government support, whether moral or material, for the Provisional IRA as unacceptable.
The Ambassador carried out this instruction in Tripoli and he stressed the total rejection of the IRA by the Irish people and pointed to their record of murder, destruction and suffering. He emphasised the total rejection by the Irish Government of violence or the threat of violence as a means or promoting political objectives here.
We have had occasion in the past to protest to the Libyan Government because of its statements or actions in support of the IRA. I mentioned in particular last week a statement from Colonel Gadaffi in May 1984 in which he was quoted as referring to contacts with the IRA in the seventies and to resuming support. On that occasion, and again in January this year, at a meeting between officials of my Department and Libyan diplomats, we sought clear assurances about the nature of Libyan links with the IRA. The Dáil will, therefore, appreciate my sense of disappointment to learn of yet another such statement of support for the IRA from such a senior political figure in Libya as Major General Jalloud.
The difficulties we are presently experiencing with Libya should not be viewed in a purely bilateral context. We have also to look at the wider international dimension. I pointed out the concern of our European Community partners about Libyan involvement in international terrorism. The Twelve have recently been engaged in a detailed and intensive round of discussions aimed towards the elaboration of an agreed European strategy to confront the challenge of international terrorism and to provide protection against terrorist attack. Our immediate priority was to take action to dissuade Libya in particular from involvement in such terrorism. These concerns were in fact central to the meetings of the Twelve Foreign Ministers which I attended on 27 January, 14 April and 21 April of this year where a number of measures directed against Libya were agreed.
The measures taken by the Community so far include a ban on the export of arms or other military equipment to Libya. The Twelve have agreed that they will do everything in their power to ensure that their nationals and industry do not seek to take any commercial advantage from measures taken by others against terrorist attack. They have also adopted measures directed against Libya in the field of diplomatic relations and in the area of stricter visa requirements and procedures. They have, furthermore, strengthened co-operation on the problem of the abuse of diplomatic immunity. Ireland has participated fully in the deliberations which produced these initiatives and we have supported these measures.
As a direct consequence of these jointly agreed measures, a number of partners have already taken action to reduce the size of Libyan missions in their countries. Since Ireland maintains diplomatic relations with Libya on a non-residential basis, this is not a policy option open to us. We have, however, regarded this diplomatic channel as an important part of our efforts to ensure that our concerns about terrorism are fully communicated to the Libyan authorities. We are communicating these concerns again now and we will continue to do so until this temporary impasse in our relations with Libya is resolved.
The Community have taken no decision on the imposition of trade sanctions against Libya. We and our other partners have at all times made clear our reservations concerning such sanctions. However, Libya or any other country which supports international terrorism will be in no doubt that they cannot expect to have normal relations with the Twelve. Our latest contacts with the Libyan authorities will emphasise our commitment to this policy.
I feel I must stress again the importance which the Government attaches to the continuation of a co-ordinated and agreed response by the Twelve to interational terrorism so that the specific concerns of all the member states, including our present difficulties with Libya as regards the IRA, can find proper reflection in that agreed strategy.
This, I believe, is the course which best ensures that action taken will be effective in discouraging support for terrorism.
The measures agreed in regard to Libya have been on the basis of the evidence so far available to the member states about Libyan involvement in acts of terrorism and have taken account of the specific concerns which individual member states have about such involvement. If new evidence emerges as a result of our Ambasssador's contacts in Libya the Twelve will decide in the light of any such evidence what further action, if any, they should take.
Finally, I would like to assure Deputies once again that I share their concerns about terrorism and the role of Libya in such terrorism. The Government are committed to combatting terrorism. I have asked the Ambassador in Rome to continue to pursue his contacts with the Libyan authorities and will advise the Dáil in due course of the outcome of these discussions.
I am in the hands of the Chair as to the most suitable way to do that but I hope to be able to do so in the not too distant future.
