Vol. 533 No. 3
90 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which he has used his influence at EU and UN level to bring international attention to bear on the various tragic wars in Africa; if he has taken any initiatives in this regard in recent times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8586/01]
The Government attaches a very high priority to the promotion of peace, stability and development in Africa. I am deeply conscious of the many ties that connect Ireland with so many parts of the continent. Generations of Irish missionaries and the invaluable work of contemporary Irish NGOs have produced a record of service and commit ment to Africa of which all Irish people are rightly proud.
Consequently, I deeply regret the enormous suffering that has been inflicted in recent years upon millions of people by the large number of conflicts on the continent. These needless wars make it immeasurably more difficult to effectively tackle Africa's development needs. Through our membership of the European Union and the United Nations, Ireland has actively sought to bring an end to conflict and promote reconciliation throughout Africa. In doing so, we have been guided by the lessons learned from our own peace process.
Recent months have witnessed progress in some of the continent's most troubled regions. For several years, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been experiencing a bitter violent conflict involving several countries from the region. Until recently, prospects for an early resolution to the war were bleak. However, on 21 and 22 February, the UN Security Council met with the countries involved in the war and adopted its most important resolution to date on the conflict. Security Council Resolution 1341 sets deadlines for the disengagement of opposing forces in the DRC and urges them to adopt a timetable for the complete withdrawal of all foreign troops. I am pleased to note that Ireland played an active role in the drafting of the resolution. The disengagement of troops began on 15 March in accordance with the resolution and is being observed by members of the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUC). Ireland will continue to insist that all relevant Security Council resolutions are fully implemented and will encourage all the parties to the conflict to abide by the commitments made in the Lusaka agreement.
I am also encouraged by developments in the Horn of Africa. On 12 December 2000, Ethiopia and Eritrea signed an agreement bringing an end to their border war. The agreement offers the real prospect of a lasting peace to the war weary peoples of both countries. Ireland, along with our EU colleagues, has welcomed the progress made to date. We will continue to urge both Governments to fully implement the terms of the agreement without delay. We have also made known our views on developments in the peace process at the Security Council and played an important role in ensuring that the UN arms embargo on both countries was not prematurely lifted.
Elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, we have welcomed the encouraging signs of progress in Somalia and, along with our EU partners, have indicated our willingness to assist the process of national reconciliation and reconstruction that is required there.
As a member of the IGAD international partners forum and through the EU, we have actively contributed to attempts to end the civil war in Sudan. We will continue to support progress towards a peaceful settlement of that conflict within the context of the peace initiative of the IGAD.
