asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the continuing violence in the region and especially the continuing deaths of Palestinian civilians at the hands of Israeli security forces, he will indicate the Government's view on the desirability of holding a UN-sponsored conference in the Middle East to try and secure a solution to the problems on the area and especially to seek a resolution of the Palestinian problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Middle East Affairs.
58.
The policy of Ireland and of its partners in the European Community rests on two fundamental principles: the right of all states in the area, including Israel, to exist within secure, recognised and guaranteed borders and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination with all that this implies.
At a meeting held in Brussels on 23 February 1987, in the European Political Co-operation framework, Ireland together with its partners in the Twelve declared support for an international peace conference to be held under the auspices of the United Nations with the participation of the parties concerned and of any party able to make a direct and positive contribution to the restoration and maintenance of peace and to the region's economic and social development. Since then, the Twelve have repeatedly made clear their readiness to play their part with respect to such a conference and to make an active contribution both through the Presidency and individually to bring the positions of the parties concerned closer to one another with a view to such a conference being convened.
Ireland, as one of the Twelve, was associated with the statement made on behalf of the Twelve by the Presidency, Greece, at the UN General Assembly on 27 September last. In that statement the Twelve again set out their policy on the Arab-Israeli conflict; they reaffirmed their support for an international peace conference; and they stated that such a conference would be a suitable framework for the negotiations between the parties directly concerned which they see as indispensable.