Vol. 571 No. 1
426 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of meetings he, or representatives of his Department have had in the past 12 months with members of the Kurdish community here, in light of his belief that the American invasion of Iraq would liberate the Kurdish people. [19815/03]
Contacts between representatives of the Kurdish community and officials of my Department, mainly at the United Nations in New York, have taken place on various occasions. Discussions with these representatives have been wide-ranging, including such topics as the oil for food programme and developments in the General Assembly.
The Government has a number of concerns relating to the situation of the Kurdish people. We are working with our partners in the EU to ensure that concerns about the human rights of the Kurds are raised in contacts with the governments in the region. At the time of the most recent conflict in Iraq, I expressed the Government's concern about the potential impact of military action on Kurdish populations in the region.
This House adopted a motion tabled by the Government declaring its commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq. We have called on all parties to any conflict to respect the provisions of international humanitarian law, in particular, the Geneva Conventions. We have also called on the United Nations to assume a central role in securing the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people and the reconstruction of Iraq, in which Ireland will play its full part.
