Ciarán Cuffe
Question:41 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his official visit to the United States at the end of November 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26483/02]
Written Answers. - Official Engagements.
Dan Neville
Question:85 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the essential points made by him in an address to the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York on 25 November 2002. [26493/02]
Róisín Shortall
Question:93 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his address to the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York on 25 November 2002. [26534/02]
Denis Naughten
Question:94 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his visit to the United States in November 2002, accompanied by members of the Oireachtas foreign affairs committee. [26497/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 41, 85, 93 and 94 together.
I visited New York and Washington from 22 to 27 November last. A delegation from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by its Chairman, Deputy Woods, visited New York at the same time. The visit took place as Ireland's term on the UN Security Council comes to an end and provided the opportunity to again highlight the importance Ireland attaches to the UN and, in particular, the Security Council. The visit also provided the members of the incoming Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs with a useful opportunity to see at first hand the work of Ireland at the UN.
During my visit to New York, I met senior UN officials across the range of UN activities, including the Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Louise Frechette, the Executive Director of UNMOVIC, Dr. Hans Blix, and the head of the Office of the Iraq Programme, Mr. Benon Sevan. At those meetings, we discussed a range of current international issues, including Iraq, the Middle East peace process, Afghanistan and UN peacekeeping. I also met with a number of permanent representatives of UN member states and with a group of representatives of international NGOs. It was gratifying throughout these contacts to hear the repeated praise for the role which Ireland has played at the Security Council, particularly in relation to human rights and humanitarian issues.
On 25 November, I was invited to address the National Committee on American Foreign Policy on the subject of "Peace and Security: Ireland and the UN". In my speech, I focused on a number of key issues: our membership of the UN Security Council and our commitment to multilateralism; the importance of a strong UN which can respond to the evolving challenges of the globalised world, where the only way to resolve disputes is through regional co-operation allied to strong international will; the opportunity for the United States to pursue a leadership role through the United Nations; our position on Iraq and on Security Council Resolution 1441, on ending the impasse in the Middle East, on building peace in Afghanistan, on the challenges facing Africa and on the threat of terrorism; and the Northern Ireland peace process.
On 25 November, I met US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, in Washington. This was a very constructive meeting, in the course of which we exchanged detailed views on a range of international issues, including Iraq and Security Council Resolution 1441, the Middle East, Cyprus and Turkey. I also briefed the Secretary of State on developments in the Northern Ireland peace process and thanked him for the continued interest and involvement of the US Administration.
My visit to New York last month took place at a very important time for the United Nations, as the effectiveness of multilateralism is put to the test. Those Members of the House who accompanied me will be able to confirm that Ireland used its position on the Security Council over the past two years to play an effective part in helping advance international peace and security.