Vol. 475 No. 4
80 Mr. R. Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the outcome of the EUASEAN summit in Singapore on Thursday, 13 February 1997; the steps, if any, taken by the Government in its capacity as a member of the EU Troika to address the issue of East Timor; and the progress, if any, made in this regard. [5068/97]
In so far as the outcome of the EUASEAN Ministerial Meeting held in Singapore on 13-14 February last is concerned, I would refer the Deputy to the joint declaration adopted by the meeting, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the Houses of the Oireachtas. At the meeting, Ministers had a productive and wide-ranging exchange of views on a number of political, security, economic and other issues. The discussions took place in an atmosphere of mutual confidence and understanding, following the spirit of the previous meeting in Karlsruhe on 22-23 September 1994. Ministers reiterated that ASEAN remains a cornerstone of the EU's dialogue with the Asia region.
In relation to East Timor, it was agreed by EU Ministers that the Presidency, on behalf of the member states of the European Union, would raise this issue at the plenary session of the meeting and would draw attention, in particular, to the importance attached by the United Nations Secretary General to a new impulse for the discussions under his auspices between Indonesia and Portugal. Ireland of course associated itself fully with this statement by the President of the Council. The Deputy will be aware that the policy of the European Union is based on the EU Common Position on East Timor which was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 25 June 1996. In accordance with the Common Position, Ireland actively supports international efforts to promote respect for human rights in East Timor and to bring about a peaceful and just solution there which fully respects the interests and legitimate aspirations of the Timorese people.
