Vol. 562 No. 5
205 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of meetings he has had in the past year with the Palestinian Authority; the details of such initiatives as are now afoot in his Department to break the deadlock in Palestinian-Israeli affairs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6414/03]
I met the delegate general of the Palestinian Authority on a number of occasions both formally and informally. Recently I met a Palestinian ministerial delegation who visited Ireland in January to consult with the National Standards Authority of Ireland. This delegation included the Palestinian Minister of the Economy, Trade and Industry.
The situation in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories is a matter of constant concern to the Government and is closely monitored by my Department, through our international contacts and the work of our diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv, Ramallah and elsewhere in the region. Ireland inputs into the work of the Quartet, which consists of the EU, Russia, the UN and the US, through the EU.
In relation to the second part of the Deputy's question, I answered a similar question on 30 January, Parliamentary Question No. 43. There have been no developments since then except that the adoption of the road map has been delayed, in relation to which I refer the Deputy to Priority Question No. 112 which covers this particular issue.
