The Government and our EU partners continue to be gravely concerned about the disastrous situation in Eastern Zaire which is threatening to destabilise further the Great Lakes region. Over half a million people, including Rwandan refugees and local Zaireans have been forced to leave refugee camps in Bukaw and Uvira in Eastern Zaire. The situation remains very tense and reliable information from the area is difficult to obtain.
As a direct consequence of the conflict, almost all international humanitarian staff have had to be evacuated from most of Eastern Zaire. While this evacuation is clearly regrettable, humanitarian staff had little choice in view of the violence and looting which they had encountered. The evacuation has made it increasingly difficult to gain reliable information on the movements of numerous Rwandan Hutu refugees and displaced Zaireans. UN agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, are unable to gain access to the areas and assess the needs of the refugee population. On the humanitarian front my Department remains in close consultation with the United Nations in Geneva and New York, and is working in co-operation with the Irish aid agencies in the region.
Foreign Ministers of the European Union discussed the situation in detail last Monday at the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg with a view to preventing a further humanitarian catastrophe and possible wider conflict in the region. On that occasion, recalling the European Union's Declarations of 21 and 25 October, we reiterated the Union's concern at the escalation in fighting in the Kivu region and called on all parties to exercise restraint and in particular to have regard to the safety of civilians.
As a first step towards preventing any further escalation in violence and unrest, the Council called for the implementation of an immediate ceasefire and, in the firm conviction that the complex problems at issue can only be resolved through early and substantive dialogue, called on all parties concerned to begin such a process as soon as possible. Taking into account the regional role of the Organisation of African Unity, the Council also appealed to that organisation's member states to make urgent efforts to contribute to the settlement of the conflict. It believes that a particular responsibility in this regard devolves on Zaire and Rwanda, while at the same time welcoming the stated readiness of the authorities of both to pursue and reinforce the process of dialogue between their two countries.
To facilitate this process of dialogue between Zaire and Rwanda, the European Union has mandated its Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, Mr. Aldo Ajello, to travel immediately to the region. Mr. Ajello, who departed for the region last Monday, will be assisted in his efforts by the Troikas of EU Heads of Mission in Kinshasa and Kigali. Mr. Ajello has made himself available to attend a conference of regional leaders to address the situation in Eastern Zaire which it is hoped will take place in Arusha, Tanzania, this weekend.
As Presidency, Ireland has been fully engaged with partners and Special Envoy Ajello in seeking to address the growing crisis in Eastern Zaire. During his previous mission to countries of the Great Lakes region Mr. Ajello had initial discussions about the situation in South Kivu with the Prime Minister of Zaire in Arusha on 12 October and had also been engaged in ongoing consultations with the Government of Rwanda. In carrying out his current mission, which is specifically aimed at promoting a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Eastern Zaire, Mr. Ajello will co-ordinate closely with the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, the Organisation of African Unity, regional leaders and other interested parties. In addition, we have had direct contacts with the Rwandan Government in recent days in which we have reinforced the messages being delivered by Mr. Ajello. The Minister of State, Deputy Burton, met the Foreign Minister of Rwanda yesterday and discussed these issues.
The increasingly volatile situation in Eastern Zaire and the danger of the conflict spreading across national boundaries pose a very real threat to any prospect for long-term peace and stability in the Great Lakes region. As such, it calls for the immediate and substantive engagement of all parties in the search for an agreed political solution. However, in more immediate terms we are already witnessing the appalling and growing human cost of the violence and displacement of the population in South Kivu and beyond. With our EU partners, the Irish Presidency is seeking ways to prevent a further worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in the region and to impact further on its local and refugee populations. Last Monday's Council has, therefore, requested the European Commission to report urgently on the situation and to make proposals for action by the Union to assist actively in the process of getting supplies to those in need. This action will be co-ordinated closely with the national efforts of member states, including Ireland.
As confirmed to the House by Deputy Burton, Minister of State at my Department with responsibility for development co-operation, in the Adjournment statement which she made on South Kivu last Thursday, the Government is examining the current situation very closely from a humanitarian perspective. We have spent almost £10 million since 1994 in the region and we will continue to play our part in alleviating the plight of those affected in the current fighting. Further aid to the region, and specifically to Eastern Zaire, will be considered in the light of developments and any appeals for funding from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and NGOs will be given sympathetic consideration. As Presidency, Ireland has placed the situation in the Great Lakes region on the agenda of this week's meeting of the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). Humanitarian agencies are reallocating resources to Rwanda and are setting up temporary transit stations to help deal with the further displacement of the refugee population.
In addressing the current crisis in Eastern Zaire in these terms, we are strongly reminded of the pressing need to deal effectively with the enormous problems posed by the presence of over one million refugees and displaced persons in the Great Lakes region following the conflict in Rwanda in 1994. This unresolved issue, which affects the entire region, has resulted in initially localised conflict having far-reaching humanitarian and political repercussions. The European Union is, therefore, prepared to work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Governments in question and international donors to bring about an agreed and effective strategy to deal with this pervasive issue. It further believes that such a strategy will be paramount in devising a framework to create a comprehensive, durable settlement of the problems of the region as a whole. The European Union remains strongly of the view that a regional conference on peace, security and stability in the Great Lakes region, under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity, has a central role to play in the establishment of a regional settlement.