Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 Jun 2000

Vol. 521 No. 3

Written Answers. - Foreign Conflicts.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

28 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Irish nationals in Fiji; his views on the current developments there; and the contingency plans, if any, in place for the safety and security of Irish nationals in the event of major civil unrest. [16694/00]

Tom Enright

Question:

30 Mr. Enright asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in Fiji. [16912/00]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen): I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 30 together.

The Government, together with its EU partners, views the situation in Fiji with great concern. We have condemned the overthrow of the democratically elected government. There is now a risk of further violence and disorder which, if not contained, could in a worst case scenario degenerate into civil war.

Since the attempted coup and the taking of hostages, including the lawfully elected Prime Minister and members of his cabinet, on 19 May the situation has deteriorated. The hostages are still being held in captivity in the Parliament building. The Prime Minister and the President have resigned from their offices, the Constitution has been suspended and martial law has been imposed by an interim military government. Negotiations between the head of the armed forces and the leader of the coup have been suspended. In addition, there are serious divisions in the great council of chiefs, with the prospect of these resulting in a split in the country, leading to a new concentration in power away from the capital, Suva, towards the western region. The complexity of this situation is compounded by ethnic tensions between the indigenous population and the sizeable Indian minority.

There has also been widescale looting and damage to property, as well as serious economic consequences and loss of employment in several sectors. The question of the international community imposing economic and trade sanctions cannot be ruled out because of the serious implications of overthrowing a lawfully elected government and undermining the pluralistic constitution, but the impact of any such measures on the least economically developed sectors of Fijian society would have to be carefully considered.

International mediation has been offered by countries of the region and others with historical ties with Fiji but these have not yet been taken up.

There are about fifty Irish citizens in Fiji but few, if any, are now in or around the capital, Suva. In order to ensure the safety of our citizens, my Department and the embassy in Canberra are maintaining close contact with EU partners with diplomatic missions in Fiji and with other countries such as Australia and New Zealand with significant interests and communities there. Irish citizens are being advised against non-essential travel to Fiji for the present and any who may still be in Suva are being advised to move out of the area. As is usual in circumstances such as this, there are contingency plans for the evacuation of foreign, including Irish, nationals should the security situation require such action.

The Government, together with its EU, partners will keep the situation under close review with a view to helping to bring about a resolution of the crisis should circumstances permit such a role.

John Browne

Question:

29 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Zimbabwe in light of the recent comments by Amnesty International linking the Government in Zimbabwe and the ruling party to acts of violence and terror ahead of the forthcoming general elections. [16930/00]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen)

The Government is extremely concerned at the breakdown in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, the ongoing violence, loss of life, illegal occupation of property and continuing political intimidation in the run-up to Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections on 24 and 25 June. In recent months the Government has expressed its concern at events in Zimbabwe to the authorities there on a number of occasions.

EU Foreign Ministers have consistently called on the Government of Zimbabwe to take the steps necessary to resolve the deteriorating situation as a matter of urgency and to ensure respect for the law and maintain public order and civil protection. We have stressed the fundamental importance of respect for democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law. Last month we made a further urgent appeal to the Government of Zimbabwe to put an end to the violence and intimidation and expressed our hope that the forthcoming elections would be free and fair. In this context, we endorsed the European Commission's intention to deploy a substantial number of EU election observers in Zimbabwe and stressed the importance of close co-ordination with other contingents of international observers.

Earlier this week at the General Affairs Council we again expressed our concern at the ongoing violence and intimidation and the recent obstacles put in the way of international observers who have arrived in the country ahead of the elections. We recalled that the observers are there with the consent of the Government of Zimbabwe and that we expect the Government to make good on its assurances about the security and freedom of access for the observers. We urged the Government of Zimbabwe to do all it can to assist them in their work to observe the forthcoming elections in a transparent and comprehensive way so as to increase confidence in the electoral process.

Ireland was a long-standing supporter of the Zimbabwean independence movement. The Government will continue to support all peaceful efforts to resolve the present difficulties, and to ensure that the democracy which the people of Zimbabwe worked so hard to achieve will continue to grow and prosper.

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

31 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the current conflict in the Congo. [16852/00]

John V. Farrelly

Question:

66 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in the Congo. [16917/00]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 66 together.

The Government is extremely concerned at the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which together with displacement, hunger and human rights violations, is causing severe hardship for the civilian population. The involvement of neighbouring states, some of which are providing military support to the protagonists, has grave implications for the peace and stability of the region as a whole.

We are concerned at the slow pace of implementation of the Lusaka accords signed, in July 1999, by the governments of the six countries involved in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Uganda, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo itself. Two rebel groups, the MLC (Movement for the Liberation of Congo) and the RCD (Congolese Rally for Democracy), signed the cease fire agreement in August. Together with our European Union partners we have urged all parties to the conflict to stop all military activities and respect in full their commitments under the Lusaka agreement.

We have reiterated our support for the Lusaka agreement and are ready to continue to assist African efforts and support the United Nations in managing the crisis and in restoring peace and stability to the DRC through political, diplomatic and financial means. The ultimate responsibility for the implementation of the Lusaka agreement, however, continues to rest with the parties themselves, including by assuring that conditions are in place to enable the early deployment of the UN observer mission.

Ireland will continue to support the work of the EU special envoy to the Great Lakes region, Mr. Aldo Ajello, who is actively pursuing the Union's objectives through his direct contacts with the UN, the Organisation of African Unity, regional leaders and other key figures and EU high representative, Solana.

We support the holding, at an appropriate time, of an international conference on peace, security and development in the Great Lakes region as a means of ensuring lasting stability. As the EU Council of Ministers underlined last month the number and complexity of factors of a political, economic and social nature which are at the root of these conflicts require a realistic, integrated and coherent approach by the international community using different types of instruments appropriate to the prevailing circumstances. The main objective of the EU will remain the creation of conditions to allow the gradual attainment of a durable solution to the conflicts affecting the Great Lakes region, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, which will necessarily have to include respect for inter national law and principles, guarantees of security for all, an end to impunity, and respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights. We remain deeply concerned about the continuous violations of human rights that are perpetrated by both state and non-state parties in the Great Lakes region, and together with our EU partners, have urged all parties concerned to refrain from any further violations.

Almost 14 million people have been directly affected by the war in the DRC and are in need of humanitarian assistance. While we continue to strive for a peaceful political settlement to the crisis, Ireland Aid will continue to provide humanitarian aid to those in greatest need.