Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 6 Nov 1996

Vol. 471 No. 2

Adjournment Matters. - Humanitarian Crisis in Eastern Zaire.

Mr. T. Kitt

I thank the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for attending the House to reply to this urgent matter. Will he respond immediately to the request by African leaders at their summit yesterday for the rapid deployment of a neutral force in eastern Zaire to help the 1.2 million refugees who now face famine?

This is a significant development. The African leaders indicate that they do not have the capacity to put together a peace keeping force. The establishment of a humanitarian corridor is required in eastern Zaire to provide sanctuary for the refugees. This can only be done if a political, military and humanitarian operation is now launched by the EU and the UN. A ceasefire is now in place and the three largest humanitarian organisations, the UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Medecins San Frontiers, together with some of our own organisations in the area and the EU Commissioner, Emma Bonino, whom I know to be a very committed humanitarian, have called for a military intervention.

A multinational peacekeeping force should be immediately deployed along the Zaire-Rwandan border and the EU should be centrally involved in such a mission. Ireland has a distinguished reputation for supporting human rights internationally, and is respected throughout the world as an honest broker. However, the response of the Government to this crisis is less than satisfactory. At this critical time we are well placed to give real leadership to the EU, but sadly we have not done so. Some of our EU partners, such as France, want intervention, however, Rwanda's Tutsi army does not consider France to be neutral.

Who is giving leadership to the EU? Sadly it is not Ireland. Will the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs initiate an EU and political and military intervention in this crisis and co-ordinate it under the umbrella of the UN? Ireland should indicate its willingness to participate in such a mission. Will he lead a troika of EU Ministers to the region, and include Kigali, Zaire, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania. The message from the troika should be that the EU will assist now.

The EU needs to be present in the region. The Irish Presidency of the EU should co-ordinate those African countries that can get involved in military peace keeping. The South African President, Nelson Mandela, has said the EU can count on his Government responding positively to any initiative. In addition, the EU should contact President Clinton to seek US logistical support and involvement in the peace effort. The involvement of the US is critical.

Approximately 1.2 million refugees face hunger, disease and death unless immediate action is taken. They must be rescued. The task of saving them cannot be left merely to an EU special envoy. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs must now face up to his responsibility as President of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers and immediately co-ordinate a major EU political, military and humanitarian operation in the Great Lakes region of Africa. This means leading the EU Foreign Ministers to the area.

The Tánaiste rightly referred to the need for EU involvement in the Middle East. We heard speculation about whether we should go to Orient House. While that would be admirable, our greatest priority should be to place an EU presence in the region because we are talking about saving hundreds of thousands of lives.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

I compliment Deputy Kitt on raising this matter. While I might disagree with some of his comments, it is important to have an opportunity in Dáil Éireann to reflect on what is potentially a human catastrophe in the Great Lakes region. I will outline to Deputy Kitt and his colleagues what we have been doing in the context of our European Union Presidency. We have been following with deepest concern the further deterioration of the position in eastern Zaire. The Minister of State at my Department with responsibility for development co-operation, Deputy Burton, and myself have been engaged in active consultations with EU colleagues, the United Nations, the UNHCR and African leaders in the Great Lakes region on possible ways through which an end can be brought to a conflict which has the potential to lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. I also had direct consultations with the UN Secretary General, Dr. Boutros Ghali, who briefed me on developments in the Security Council and on the role of the newly appointed UN Special Envoy, Ambassador Chretien.

The Irish Presidency has been, and continues to be, fully engaged with our European partners and the EU Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, Mr. Aldo Ajello, in an intense round of contacts with regional leaders on a possible way forward. Following discussions in Kigali, Rwanda, Zaire and Uganda last week, Special Envoy Ajello attended, on behalf of the Union, the summit of regional leaders on the crisis in eastern Zaire which was held in Nairobi yesterday. He did so at the request of the Presidency and partners who have given him an additional and specific mandate to support efforts to resolve the crisis in eastern Zaire.

The Government and our EU partners welcome the outcome of yesterday's summit as a further positive step towards the realisation of a framework within which the crisis in eastern Zaire can be resolved in a peaceful and humanitarian manner. The regional summit has given strong support to calls made by the EU and other members of the international community for the implementation of a full and immediate ceasefire to facilitate the intensification of diplomatic efforts to achieve lasting peace. The summit also strongly supported the establishment of safe corridors and areas of sanctuary inside Zaire with an appropriate protection force, to facilitate humanitarian assistance and the repatriation of refugees.

At the Nairobi summit the regional leaders called on the Secretary General of the UN to take urgent measures to ensure the establishment of safe corridors and temporary sanctuaries for refugees by deploying a neutral force. They called on the Secretary General of the Organisation of African Unity to work closely with the United Nations towards the realisation of this objective and to follow closely with the implementation of this decision. The summit affirmed the readiness of the sub-region to make its own contribution to that effect.

These positive proposals made at the Nairobi summit are under active consideration by the European Union as part of its ongoing support for the efforts of regional leaders and the Organisation of African Unity to bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict. They are also under active consideration by the UN Security Council in New York where they will be discussed further today in informal consultations. The outcome of the Security Council's consideration of the issue should provide the broad framework within which a concerted international response to the crisis will be situated. As EU Presidency, Ireland will maintain close contacts with the United Nations in New York, the Organisation of African Unity and the regional leaders on the progress of this proposal.

The Government supports in principle the idea of the deployment of an international humanitarian protection force or monitoring presence in support of a solution to the crisis in eastern Zaire. However, such a force would have to be accepted by both sides to the conflict and seen as impartial. Efforts aimed at the establishment of such a force must, therefore, be seen in the context of the need to get the agreement of all Governments concerned. It is clear that such agreement is not forthcoming at present. Continued efforts will have to be made to bring this proposal to fruition in an agreed and impartial manner. At the same time, we must continue to pursue the present priority for the European Union and the international community, the establishment of a workable ceasefire which will facilitate political dialogue between Rwanda and Zaire and the provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance.

In its approach to the crisis in eastern Zaire, the European Union will strenuously seek to create the earliest possible opportunity for peaceful dialogue between the parties concerned while at the same time addressing the volatile and distressing humanitarian situation. This reflects the Union's recognition that the humanitarian and political aspects of the crisis need to be addressed together in a comprehensive manner. We will seek to ensure that the necessary conditions exist for essential humanitarian tasks to be carried out as quickly as possible and for the process of dialogue to proceed. As part of this approach, the Minister of State, Deputy Burton, will chair a special meeting of EU development Ministers which will be held in Brussels tomorrow to discuss the humanitarian position of refugees and displaced persons in eastern Zaire and to assess prospects for humanitarian action to bring about an easing of the crisis.

In the context of the need for a comprehensive approach to the complex and interconnected problems at issue in the Great Lakes region, the Government and our European partners remain committed to holding a regional conference on peace, security and stability in the region under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity. We believe such a conference has a central role to play in the establishment of a lasting regional settlement.

We are in constant contact with the United Nations, the Government of the United States and our European Union colleagues on this matter. We are also in contact with the Organisation of African Unity. We are not leaving it to the envoy. I single out Mr. Ajello for the work he has done on our behalf in the past few days. We are in close consultation with him and I expect to spend many hours this evening in contact with the international community to avert what has the potential to be a human catastrophe of unknown proportions.