Written Answers. - Committee Motion on Bosnia.
Alan Shatter
Question:
18
Mr. Shatter
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs
the steps, if any, taken by him or his Department in response to the recent motion on Bosnia passed by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs; and the reason the support expressed unanimously by the Committee for this State's admitting a further 1,000 refugees from Bosnia into Ireland has not been fully acted upon.
[12976/95]
The Deputy will appreciate that the situation on the ground in Bosnia has changed dramatically since the tragic fall of the Zepa and Srebrenica enclaves. There has been direct intervention at the request of the United Nations to deter aggression against the other designated safe areas and to restore access to Sarajevo. On 18 September, the Secretary General asked the Security Council, which has primary responsibility under the Charter in this field, to consider the nature of the international force which could play a role in implementing a peace settlement in Bosnia, and to consider the nature of the international presence in Bosnia should the current peace efforts fail.
The debate in the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and its Resolution reflected a deep felt desire to ensure the protection of the inhabitants of the designated safe areas. I fully share this objective.
In light of the inability of the United Nations to deter the aggression against Srebrenica and Zepa, and with a view to considering the most appropriate response by the international community, including President Chirac's proposals, an international meeting was convened in London on 21 July. The participants included France and other major troop contributors, the European Union, United Nations and NATO. A number of important conclusions emerged from this meeting:
—It was agreed that any Bosnian Serb offensive against Gorazde would be met with a substantial and decisive response. The sense of the meeting was that, rather than deploy UNPROFOR personnel to the isolated safe areas, the use of air power was the most effective deterrent. The Bosnian Serb forces, which were then threatening to over-run Gorazde, did not subsequently proceed with their offensive.
—The London meeting also reaffirmed the importance of UNPROFOR's mandate and its presence in Sarajevo, and its determination to ensure access to Sarajevo for the delivery of provisions to the civilian population. It was also agreed to support UNPROFOR's continuing role in Bosnia and its rapid reaction capacity, but noted that if the arms embargo were lifted, UNPROFOR would have to be withdrawn, and a vacuum thus created with tragic consequences for the region.
I welcomed the conclusions of the London meeting at that time.
Following that meeting, detailed arrangements for the protection of the civilian population of Sarajevo and the other safe areas were elaborated. The Bosnian Serb leadership in Pale was warned that threats against safe areas would be countered by significant air strikes. The action taken by NATO on behalf of the United Nations in response to the 28 August massacre in Sarajevo was in response to the strong desire of the international community to ensure the protection of the civilian population of the safe areas.
These developments will not, in themselves, bring peace to Bosnia. The United Nations and the various security organisations which have been engaged in the former Yugoslavia consider that only on the basis of a negotiated political settlement will all of the peoples of Bosnia be able to live in peace and security. I fully share this view and earnestly hope that the ongoing diplomatic initiative of the Contact Group will engage all parties in an urgent commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The renewed peace initiative currently under way to achieve a negotiated outcome was the centre-piece of my discussions with my colleagues during the Ministerial meeting in Santander earlier this month. The peace process will be reviewed during the informal meeting of European Union Heads of State or Government later this week, together with the dramatic events which are now unfolding on the ground in Bosnia.
With regard to humanitarian assistance and the admission of additional refugees proposed in the Joint Committee's Resolution, I wish to recall that the Government have made a significant contribution to the relief of distress arising from the situation in former Yugoslavia. This has included support for humanitarian programmes in the region and the admission of refugees to Ireland. Since the beginning of the crisis, £2.5 million has been allocated to emergency humanitarian assistance programmes in former Yugoslavia. In addition, a total of 435 refugees from the area have been admitted to Ireland, including both medical evacuees and programme refugees accepted as a result of specific Government decisions.
On 28 July of this year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) appealed to 34 countries, including Ireland, to accept 5,000 refugees as a matter of urgency. In response to this request, and taking account of the Resolution of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Government decided on 29 August to admit a further 250 refugees. In addition, this decision also envisages that close relatives of the basis group will be admitted. Thus, the total number to be admitted as a result of this decision is likely to be well in excess of 250. It is estimated that the cost of resettling the basic group of 250 refugees in Ireland, in the first year alone, will be in the region of £2.8 million. I am satisfied that the measures approved by the Government on 29 August represent a positive and significant contribution by Ireland to the international response to the current humanitarian situation in the former Yugoslavia.
The Government remain open to considering the admission of further refugees in light of the requirements identified by the UNHCR and our ability to cope in this regard.
The Joint Committee's Resolution also referred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Deputy will be aware that the Government have strongly supported the Tribunal's work since its foundation in 1993. Ireland was one of a small number of UN Member States to make a voluntary contribution to the Tribunal when it was being financed on anad hoc basis and has worked to ensure that the Tribunal was placed on a firm financial foundation. Agreement on the financing of the Tribunal was finally secured at the United Nations in July. We will continue to co-operate with the Tribunal and to support its work in order to ensure that those responsible for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia will be brought to justice.
