Vol. 470 No. 8
4 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the concern regarding the diversion of development co-operation funding away from the poorest developing countries and the possibility of further cutbacks being implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19989/96]
At national level, Ireland's official development assistance is at its highest level ever, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GNP. The first priority of the Irish aid programme is to provide assistance to the poorer countries of sub-Saharan Africa and, in targeting basic needs, assist the poorest people of those countries.
At European Union level, as indicated in my reply of 24 October to Deputy Broughan, I am fully aware of the proposed cuts in some EU development co-operation budget lines and of the concern expressed by NGOs, MEPs and others in this regard. This concern has been brought to the attention of the Minister for Finance and will be taken into account in preparations for the next meeting of the Budget Council on 19 November.
The budget allocations for 1997 have not yet been finalised. As the spending under these budget lines is classified as `non-compulsory' the final decision on the appropriations will rest with the European Parliament at its second reading of the draft budget in December.
I will continue to monitor developments at each stage of the budget process.
This is another classic example of Europe playing politics with the agenda of the EU on aid for Mediterranean countries along north Africa rather than sub-Saharan Africa at a time of great need. It brings us back to the question Deputy O'Malley asked. I put down a private notice question on this matter yesterday which, unfortunately, was ruled out because of today's questions. I called on the Government to use its influence as President of the EU to ensure the Union takes action to protect the vulnerable population of eastern Zaire by immediately sending a UN force into the region to prevent a humanitarian disaster. We are talking about humanitarian disasters in these poorer regions and it is not sufficient to talk about national contributions; we are talking about Europe as a whole.
Does the Minister of State agree it is hypocritical in the unfolding tragedy within Zaire and Rwanda that we talk of aid while some countries sell arms to these countries involving themselves in international disputes with the potential to cause the deaths of one million people?
This year's Irish Government aid is at its highest level ever, that is, £106 million. I do not want to be partisan about the matter but I recall that the Deputy's party, in the brief period of Fianna Fáil Government, proposed cuts in the aid budget amounting to about £14 million. If we want to compare records, let us do so.
I also recall that at one stage the Deputy suggested aid to the Government of Rwanda be cut. He did not proceed too far with the proposal, and he and I had a long discussion about what was appropriate in terms of rebuilding Rwandan society after the genocide.
With regard to the EU budget, in the context of Ireland's Presidency and membership of the EU, we want to see the emphasis in terms of development assistance being put on the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa. I brought the proposed budget cuts to the Minister's attention. I expect the aid to be very substantially, if not totally, restored. We would not support some of the proposed cuts in budget lines because, for instance, they would have curtailed assistance to women and extremely vulnerable and poor groups in sub-Saharan Africa. I am confident the European Parliament through the budgetary process will seek the reversal of these regrettable cuts.
I have no doubt the current crisis in Zaire will result in a call for even more assistance from the EU. In recent days I have been in close contact with all our partners in the Union on the issue, including Commissioner Bonino, and the EU is ready, as the Tánaiste said, to provide humanitarian assistance. To provide it we must establish access to the refugees.
In Rwanda about seven separate points have been set up along the western border involving the international aid agencies, including the two Irish agencies in the region, Concern and Trócaire, who are ready to offer succour and food to the refugees, but that depends on corridors being cleared so that the refugees can return. It also depends not only on the goodwill of the Rwandan authorities but on that of the Zairean authorities. Our information is that the Zairean authorities have prevented refugees from recrossing the border.
There is also the question of rebuilding refugees' confidence so that they feel they can return. The situation is extremely complex and dangerous. The EU is standing by and is ready to contribute as much as possible to the process of giving assistance to those refugees.
I am sure the Minister has read the Fianna Fáil policy statement of November 1995. If she has not read it, I strongly recommend it as it is a worthwhile read. It clearly stated Fianna Fáil's position——
I am talking about what Fianna Fáil did in Government with the Estimates.
——with regard to third world aid. The discussion on cuts in aid to Rwanda, to which she referred, occurred in this House with regard to her insistence on the aid being internal to Rwanda and my concern for those Rwandans who were outside the boundaries of Rwanda. As things have unfolded in recent days, my concerns about the needs of those outside Rwanda have been proved correct.
The Minister of State seems to be very friendly with the administration in Rwanda as I have heard her speak on many occasions about the number of times she has visited that country, its prisons, etc. Will she use her influence with the Rwandans and ask them to desist from engaging in attacks across the border into Zaire?
The Deputy should be aware that low level fighting has been ongoing for the past six months. It originated with people of ethnic Tutsi origin, the Banymulenge, who have lived in what is now Zaire for approximately 300 years. The current crisis was brought about by the arbitrary withdrawal of their citizenship by the Zaireans. In the north, near Goma, there were widespread killings of ethnic Tutsis, the Banyrwanda, during the summer in the Massisi region. One of the conditions for creating a ceasefire, which Zaire has been asked to do, would be to withdraw threats to withdraw the citizenship of people who have lived in the country for 300 to 400 years.
We continue to press the Government of Rwanda to improve the justice system, which it is currently in the process of doing. With regard to yesterday's events, the Rwandan Foreign Minister confirmed that his country is ready to take part in an international conference. We asked that the Rwandans not merely be party to the peace process, which it is hoped will take place in East Africa next week, but that they actively seek to discuss with the Zaireans ways to decrease tensions in the region. The views of the Irish Government were made known to the Rwandans in a forceful manner on a number of occasions. However, a solution to the problem will only be achieved when the various countries in the region negotiate with each other and offer some degree of stability to the ethnic groups whose homelands stretch across the borders of different countries in an extremely complex pattern. The European Union envoy, Mr. Ajello, who visited Kigali earlier in the week and who has now travelled to Kinshasa, is conveying not only Ireland's views but those of the other member states in connection with this issue.
