asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs in view of the on going attack on Gorazde by Bosnian Serb forces and the imminent threat to the lives of 65,000 Muslim civilians trapped there, the measures, if any, he has taken or proposes to take to impress on the United Nations, the European Union and the international community the need for urgent preventive action to bring the attack to a halt; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Private Notice Questions. - Bosnian Serb Attack on Gorazde.
asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the whereabouts and safety of two Irish citizens trapped in Gorazde, where a horrific crime of genocide is taking place and thousands of lives are threatened by the Bosnian Serbs.
asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, he is taking to ensure the safety of a person (details supplied), at present working with the UNHCR in Gorazde; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the latest information available to him regarding the position of Irish citizens trapped in the Bosnian town of Gorazde; the plans, if any, there are to secure the evacuation of the people concerned in view of the continuing assault on the town by Serbian forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to answer these four questions together. I fully share the Deputies' concerns regarding the brutal attack on Gorazde. The town continues to be shelled by Bosnian Serb artillery and also is subject to small arms fire. UNHCR report that conditions in Gorazde are desperate. The hospital has been hit by artillery fire and people are sheltering in the basements of their homes. The population of the town has been swollen by an influx of refugees from the villages in the Gorazde pocket which have fallen to the Bosnian Serbs over the last ten days. The lives of aid workers, including two Irish citizens working with UNHCR, have been jeopardised by the Bosnian Serb assault. I utterly condemn these vicious actions, which are further flagrant violations of international humanitarian law.
Gorazde is one of six towns which were declared safe areas by the UN Security Council last year. Last week, in light of the threats to the lives of UN personnel in Gorazde, close air support was provided by NATO forces at the request of the Secretary General in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. Deputies will be aware that last night the UN Secretary General requested NATO to make available to the United Nations the capacity to launch air-strikes to achieve the specific objectives of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
The brutal actions of the Bosnian Serbs against Gorazde which have, to date, left over 300 dead and over 1,000 seriously wounded, also represent a substantial setback for the peace process. This is a great tragedy, given that much progress had been made in recent weeks. Sarajevo is no longer being shelled and the war between Croats and Muslims in Central Bosnia has been ended. European Union Foreign Ministers, at their meeting in Luxembourg yesterday, condemned the continuing Bosnian Serb attacks on Gorazde, and demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the withdrawal of Bosnian Serbs from the vicinity of Gorazde, and the lifting of all obstructions which have been placed in UNPROFOR's path.
Ministers stressed, in particular, the need for an intensive and co-ordinated effort by the international community, involving the EU, UN, United States and Russia, to relaunch the negotiations on the basis of the EU plan of action which has been accepted by all of the parties.
Discussions yesterday confirmed that a settlement cannot be imposed on Bosnia. The Bosnian Serbs, in particular, must return to the negotiating table to arrive at a solution through negotiation. At this critical stage, we must continue to exert maximum pressure on the Serbian authorities. We must fully support the efforts of the UN Secretary General and his special representative to put in place an effective ceasefire in and around Gorazde.
As I mentioned earlier, there are at present four UNHCR personnel left in Gorazde, two of whom are Irish. There are also two non-Irish aid workers with Medecins sans Frontieres. Yesterday we were in contact with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to express the Government's concerns about the whereabouts and safety of the Irish citizens in Gorazde. We are maintaining ongoing contact with the UNHCR on the situation in the enclave. Earlier this afternoon, the UNHCR confirmed that the aid workers are unharmed in their shelter in the UN building in Gorazde. I want to assure the House of the Government's deep concern that shelling continues today in Gorazde and we are committed to doing everything we can to secure the evacuation of Irish and other aid workers to safety.
The UNHCR have taken the decision in principle to evacuate all humanitarian aid personnel from Gorazde. However, before the evacuation can take place they need the assurance of the Bosnian Serb military commanders that safe passage will be guaranteed. I have directly requested Dr. Karadzic's intervention with the military commanders to guarantee safe passage for the evacuation of these aid workers from Gorazde. Mrs. Ogata, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, is also working to this end. I know that everyone in this House joins with me in hoping that my request is acted upon immediately and that the evacuation goes ahead without further delay.
In view of the large number of Deputies who have tabled questions, one round of supplementary questions by the Deputies who tabled the questions should be adequate.
Will the Tánaiste not agree that the indifference of the international community and the pathetic response by the European Union initially and by the United Nations is nothing short of a disgrace and that there is much blood on the hands of both organisations? Will he not agree that it has been patently obvious from the start that the clear and single-minded objective of the Serbs has been the annihilation of the Muslim community, that because these people are Muslims and have no oil they simply do not count, that the Serbs have used negotiations and the United Nations as an international play thing and have thumbed their noses time and again at it, again today taking back anti-aircraft guns that were seized previously, and that the international will is not and was never there to do anything substantial about it?
I do not feel that the tenor of the Deputy's remarks reflects the efforts of the European Union of the United States and of the international community over a period of many months. The European Union has made particular efforts to bring peace to Bosnia and the former Yugoslavia and to assist the victims of the conflict there. We have yet to achieve the goal of a comprehensive settlement for which everybody has been working for a long time. Some progress has been made, but not enough; for example, the war between the Muslims and Croats which has raged for the past nine months in Central Bosnia has been brought to a conclusion. We want to see a resumption of negotiations. Nobody can defend or stand over what is happening to the Muslim population in the town of Gorazde. We will continue our efforts at international level. At the meeting in Luxembourg yesterday it was stressed that we need the best endeavours of the European Union, the United States, the United Nations and Russia in particular to work together to bring the warring factions together to see if we can achieve a resolution of this conflict.
I thank the Tánaiste for the information that the two Irish aid workers, Mr. Eddie O'Dwyer and Dr. Mary McLoughlin, are safe. I pay tribute to the courageous work they are doing and the fact that they are staying with the people they work with in their time of trouble.
Will the Tánaiste not agree that the safe havens, which appeared to be a good idea, and the suggestion for which the Tánaiste took credit in this House, have now become corrals of misery and death and that this policy is no longer one that the EU can continue to sustain without ensuring that the lives of the people in the havens are protected? Is he aware that the numbers in Gorazde have risen to 65,000 from an original population of 30,000 population, that there are 1,100 people in need of immediate medical evacuation, that 300 people died in a period of 19 or 20 days and that if that rate of killing continues before long there will be nobody left in that safe haven? When will the international community implement the UN resolutions which not only call for the protection of UN soldiers working there but for the protection of the people who have been brought together for their safety in safe havens? The resolutions which have been passed allow for such protection. Will the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs take a more frontline role in ensuring that such UN resolutions are implemented?
I am aware that the population of Gorazde has exploded in recent months because of people from neighbouring villages taking refuge. I am also aware that 300 people have been killed and 1,000 injured in the recent past. I have contributed to every debate on the difficulties in the former Yugoslavia which have taken place at European Union level. During the past two years we have set out to ensure effective delivery of humanitarian aid in Bosnia. We should not underestimate the efforts of the European Union in particular and the international community. We also have been pursuing a political solution for Bosnia and an interim solution for Croatia and will continue to do so. It has always been accepted by the European Union, the United Nations and the international community that safe areas would have to be protected and that humanitarian aid would have to get through. In conjunction with my colleagues at European Union level, I will continue to press for negotiations because the problem is so complex that it will require the best efforts of the international community and the Serbs, Muslims and Croats if it is to be resolved.
(Limerick East): I thank the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for his assurances on the safety of Dr. Mary McLoughlin and Eddie O'Dwyer. Like all of us, he is aware of the deep concern about the position in Bosnia.
Is he embarrassed by the lack of success of EU foreign policy in respect of the former Yugoslavia? Does he agree with the main thrust of European Union foreign policy or is there a particular Irish Government position which he believes should be followed? If so, will he state the Government's policy on events in the former Yugoslavia?
It is not a question of being embarrassed about the efforts of the European Union in this regard. The European Union is frustrated and that frustration is shared by the international community, the administration in the United States, the Russian administration and the United Nations because of the costs of the conflict in terms of loss of human life, suffering and deprivation in the former Yugoslavia. Our position coincides with that of our European Union partners. We set out to ensure the effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Bosnia which, by and large, has succeeded in getting through to people who are suffering and hungry. We set out to seek a political solution to the problem in Bosnia, a resumption of negotiations on the basis of the Geneva package which was largely agreed by the parties in autumn last year. We also sought an interim solution to Croatia. Central to that plan was the conditional offer by the European Union to support the phased lifting of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro and the first step in the process could take place when agreement was secured on Bosnia and a modus vivendi established for Croatia. We will continue to work with the international community. There is an absolute sense of frustration because of the continuing violence despite our best efforts and those of our European Union partners, but we will have to continue with our endeavours.
Does the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs support the request by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros Ghali, for air strikes against the Bosnian Serbian forces who are currently assaulting Gorazde? If so, has he indicated that support to the United Nations, given that the entire Security Council supports that request? He stated that maximum pressure will be exerted on Serbia. What will be the extent of that pressure? Are steps other than those already implemented against Serbia intended? Will he agree that if Gorazde falls it will not be long before assaults are launched on the other five safe areas which the United Nations is pledged to defend?
The relevant resolutions of the Security Council authorise UNPROFOR to take all necessary measures, including the use of force, to achieve certain objectives in Bosnia. Resolutions are of a mandatory nature and have been adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The United Nations bears a particularly onerous responsibility in deciding on military action. Difficult and complex questions will have to be addressed by the Secretary General's special representative in the former Yugoslavia, UNPROFOR's commanders and ultimately by the Secretary General before deciding on the use of air strikes. These will have to include calculations on whether such action will result in an escalation of the conflict or provoke attacks on UNPROFOR which could force its withdrawal. The relevant resolutions of the Security Council provide for the use of force, including air power, to support UNPROFOR in discharging its mandate in and around the safe areas. To date the authority has been used in the provision of close air support when the lives of UN personnel have been endangered. The Secretary General wishes to ensure that NATO is in a position to undertake air strikes to protect designated safe areas if he decides that such actions must be taken. It is right that the Secretary General should seek to ensure that the UN has the capacity to implement the resolutions of the Security Council which are binding on all states and he will have our support on those matters.
I agree with the Deputy's view on the threat to Gorazde and the consequences if Gorazde is not protected. It will be a sad day if Gorazde falls and will endanger the remaining safe areas in the former Yugoslavia.
Was it not a tragic deceit for the United Nations to proclaim Gorazde a safe area without providing the means necessary to keep that area safe? Is it not now the case that we are seeking genocide in slow motion in that part of Europe?
The conflict which has been raging in the former Yugoslavia is causing great difficulties to international bodies, in particular, the European Union and the United Nations. I emphasise the European Union because it has been a particular contributor in terms of troops and humanitarian aid and that will continue to be the case. At all times the intention was to protect human life, to try to end the conflict and to provide whatever protection was possible to ensure the killing and the genocide did not continue. The European Union will continue to support the United Nations which plays a leading role in respect of the presence of UNPROFOR troops. We will give every support possible to prevent further loss of life and, in particular, to ensure that Gorazde remains a protected safe area.
Has the Government protested to the Russian Ambassador and thereby to the Russian Government about the remarks last week of President Yeltsin who criticised the attempt by the United Nations and NATO to stop the Serbian onslaught on Gorazde? As they are traditional allies and friends, the Russians have a greater influence on the Serbs than anyone else. Will the Tánaiste make that protest bearing in mind what I said about friendship and use that avenue when meeting Ministers in member states of the European Union to see if some constraints can be put on the Serbs?
It will be necessary to combine the efforts of the European Union, the United States, the United Nations and the Russian authorities in this regard. I will have an opportunity to raise those matters during discussions with the Russian Foreign Minister and I am conscious of our relations with the Russian Government. Given its traditional relationship with the Serbian people, it has a particular role to play.