The conflict between the Angolan armed forces and the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda — FLEC — needs to be viewed in the context of the process of peace-building and national reconciliation which is under way in Angola. This process is strongly supported by Ireland and our EU partners. In the wider international community, Ireland has supported UN Security Council Resolutions which aim primarily at encouraging UNITA — Uniâo Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola — to meet its obligations under the Lusaka Protocol, which sets out steps for the implementation of the peace agreement of 1994 concluded between UNITA and the Government of Angola. The Security Council has also urged the Government of Angola to avoid taking any action which might undermine the peace process and stressed the importance of strengthening the rule of law throughout the national territory.
The Angolan Government has indicated its wish to engage in dialogue with Cabinda separatists, with a view to making progress on the political and military situation in the enclave. It is to be hoped that a stabilisation of the overall situation in Angola would create the conditions which would permit such a dialogue to begin.
With regard to refugees from Cabinda who may seek political asylum, the Government is concerned that such cases should be handled in a fair and equitable manner. I would however note that primary responsibility for refugee policy in Ireland rests with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Finally, I must avail of this opportunity to express the Government's deep regret at the death of the UN Secretary General's special representative in Angola, Maitre Alioune Blondin Beye, who died with five of his colleagues and two pilots in a plane crash last week. The international community owes Maitre Beye a great debt for his unremitting work for peace in Angola.
