Vol. 495 No. 7
183 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the proposals, if any, his Department made to bring aid to the people of Sudan; and the role the Government can play in influencing the Sudanese Government to reach a lasting peace with its people. [21969/98]
Ireland has been consistent in its support to the people of Sudan over the past number of years and continues to commit substantial funds to the international humanitarian relief effort through the UN and Irish and international NGOs. Overall emergency assistance provided by the Government so far this year totals almost £1.4 million. One of the conclusions of my own visit there in August was that emergency assistance will need to be provided on a very large scale over the next 12 months if famine is to be avoided. While we welcome the recent three-month extension of the humanitarian cease-fire in the Bar El Ghazahl region we will maintain our pressure on the parties to ensure that adequate humanitarian access will be maintained beyond the agreed period. A technical mission from the Department of Foreign Affairs is currently in the region to monitor the impact of resources given so far this year and to plan for 1999.
At the same time, the Government fully recognises that the continued humanitarian commitment of Ireland and other members of the international community cannot be allowed to become a substitute for meaningful engagement by the conflicting parties in a negotiated settlement. I emphasised this point to the Government and SPLA sides during my August visit as well as to the Kenyan Chair of the regional IGAD peace initiative. We are also working closely with EU and other partners who are members of the international IGAD Partners' Forum which is supporting regional peace efforts. We are actively pressing for an early resumption, in this framework, of the political talks process.
