Vol. 542 No. 2
121 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, as President of the Security Council, he will seek assurances from the Government of Syria as to its funding of Islamic fundamentalist groups and its support for the campaign against international terrorism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23753/01]
The Syrian government was quick to express its outrage at the events of 11 September in the United States and has also assured the United States and the international community of its support for the international effort to combat terrorism. Syria has recently been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and will join the council on 1 January 2002. I congratulate Syria on this honour and look forward to close co-operation between their representatives in the council and our own. As a member of the council, Syria will have an important public role to play in the development of the international consensus against terrorism in all its forms.
Syria is itself a secular state which embraces a range of religious communities, Moslem, Christian and Jewish. There have been allegations of Syrian support for certain terrorist groups. However, Syrian leaders have made it clear in their public statements that the Syrian Government is fully conscious of its responsibilities as a member of the international community and an avowed supporter of the international campaign to counter terrorism.
Ireland will work with others in the Security Council to sustain the international consensus to support that campaign and we look forward to the full co-operation of all the members of the council.
