Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 24 Nov 2004

Vol. 593 No. 2

Chernobyl Children’s Project.

Ms O’Sullivan

I welcome the opportunity to raise this important matter on the Adjournment. Described as the last dictator in Europe, President Lukashenko of Belarus made a speech last week covering a number of areas including the future of children affected by Chernobyl travelling abroad. This speech has created alarm and distress for the Chernobyl Children's Project and for the thousands of families in Ireland who host children from Belarus every year.

President Lukashenko's announcement will become a decree, unless there is major intervention. That decree will say that foreign trips for rest and recuperation for children from the nuclear-contaminated zones in Belarus are to end from the New Year, because of the invasion of consumerism which occurs as a result. President Lukashenko has already stopped all foreign adoptions and now seems intent on preventing children in his country from availing of the therapeutic benefits of time abroad in countries like Ireland.

There is fear now among the people who work with charities in this area that this is the thin end of the wedge. The president has been quoted as saying that, "Belarussian people should be recuperated in the Republic of Belarus. We have all necessary possibilities for it." There is concern that he will put an end to humanitarian aid convoys travelling from places like Ireland which bring aid to vulnerable children and their families. I spoke to Adi Roche earlier this week and I have been in touch with the Chernobyl Children's Project and they are appalled and shocked by this development. I know they have been speaking to the Minister in this regard and I look forward to his response. They are concerned that convoys of aid planned for the next few months may be jeopardised by President Lukashenko's pronouncements.

The Chernobyl Children's Project is the only Chernobyl organisation in the world to hold official non-governmental organisation status and it holds the only NGO position on the UN scientific body, ICRIN, which deals exclusively with Chernobyl. Therefore, it feels honour-bound to speak on behalf of all NGOs working in the field about current events in Belarus and the impact they will have on their future work.

As Ireland is the world's leading donor per capita to the victims of Chernobyl, it would be appropriate for us to lead the response of the international community. This response needs to be urgent. We all know of families who welcome children from Belarus into their homes with great affection, and few Members of this House will not have had the privilege of meeting children from Chernobyl whose sheer happiness at the prospect of a few weeks in Ireland is obvious. Their coming to Ireland obviously has a beneficial effect on their health.

The work in which the Chernobyl Children's Project is engaged includes the following: monthly visits of professional medical teams to work and train staff in mental asylums for children; cardiac surgery for children suffering from "Chernobyl heart", carried out by cardiac surgeons four times a year — the surgeons carry out 100 operations per year and if they are not allowed to operate, these children will die; refurbishment of an entire mental asylum for children; and craniofacial surgery for up to 80 children. There is concern that this essential work is in jeopardy and that children in Belarus will die if the country's President's policy is not resisted and reversed.

Will the Minister engage at the highest level with his international counterparts to ensure that President Lukashenko's decree will not place in jeopardy the valuable work done by charities such as the Chernobyl Children's Project and that children from Belarus will continue to enjoy the greatly rehabilitative and health benefits of trips to countries such as Ireland? I understand the Minister for Foreign Affairs has been briefed on developments on this matter and I ask him to clarify his position and lead the international and European communities to ensure that President Lukashenko's statement does not become a reality.

Ireland is the world's leading donor per capita to the victims of Chernobyl and is uniquely placed to pursue this important matter. Children will undoubtedly die and thousands more will have their lives shortened if the problem is not dealt with immediately.

Mr. Haughey

I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for making himself available for this important Adjournment matter. On Friday evening of last week, informal reports reached Ireland to the effect that President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus had made a speech in which he proposed the introduction of a new law by 31 December 2004 which would prevent children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 from travelling abroad for medical treatment, rest and recuperation. I immediately phoned the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, through his Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, and he promised to establish the full facts on the developments in Belarus as soon as possible.

I was aware through my membership of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs that the political circumstances of Belarus were on the agenda of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the EU, scheduled to meet on Monday and Tuesday of this week. We agreed that this serious development could be addressed in that context. I am grateful to the Minister for highlighting this issue with his EU colleagues on Monday last and I hope he can lead a diplomatic offensive to have President Lukashenko's policy reversed. The prospect of a decree being introduced that will effectively prevent hundreds of child victims of the world's worst nuclear disaster from travelling to Ireland and abroad generally will be a cause of grave concern to many families throughout this country and to the affected children and parents in Belarus.

Every community in the country has been touched by the good work of Adi Roche and the Chernobyl Children's Project as well as the other Irish charities in Belarus. There is hardly a town that has not been host to some of the special children in question. One thousand children are due to arrive in Ireland from Belarus during the coming Christmas period, which makes this evening's debate particularly urgent.

It is understood that the Government of Belarus is concerned that Belarussian children will be exposed to the consumerism of the west. Therefore, we must communicate clearly to the President of that country that the only motivation behind the actions of the Irish charities is the health and well-being of the child victims of the disaster. I urge the Minister to use every available channel at his disposal to deliver assurances to the President that he has nothing to be afraid of if he allows children from his country to travel to Ireland or other countries. He should also be convinced that there is nothing to fear from foreign aid convoys and humanitarian initiatives in the hope of preventing the introduction of further decrees of a similar nature.

Families throughout this country are devastated as a result of this development and are praying that common sense will prevail. Rest and recuperation in Ireland literally save lives. Enduring friendships between the families from both countries have been established. I wish the Minister well in his efforts to end the current uncertainty. Ireland is the world's leading donor country to the victims of Chernobyl and we must lead the diplomatic response. I hope very much that, through our contacts and the work of our diplomats in Moscow, we will be able to persuade the Belarussian authorities that we have no hidden agenda and that they should have no reason to be concerned. There is no political motivation behind the work of the Chernobyl Children's Project and similar agencies.

Since the Chernobyl disaster, Ireland has developed incredibly strong links with Belarussians. We have learned from each other and it is in the interest of both our countries that these links be strengthened in the years ahead.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter and welcome the opportunity to share information on this issue and the approach I am taking. I thank Deputy Haughey and the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, who contacted me late last Friday night when the developments in Belarus became known to the Chernobyl Children's Project. This allowed us to make initial inquiries on behalf of the project.

There have been some indications in the past week that the Belarussian authorities may introduce restrictions on travel abroad by children for rest and recuperation, including children suffering as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. We established on Monday morning that, on 17 November, the Belarussian President, Mr. Lukashenko, made a wide-ranging address to the Belarussian Parliament. The occasion was an official ceremony to sign into law the constitutional amendment allowing him to seek a third term of office in the next presidential election in 2006. He highlighted popular support for his rule and stated that there would be no strategic change in the policy of Belarus.

President Lukashenko said Belarus had to put an end to the lack of control over the recuperation of its children abroad. He stated the organisation of children's trips abroad for recuperation should be the prerogative of his state and added that if NGOs and religious groups want to provide assistance to Belarus, they should "transfer funds and have spending controlled from Belarus". He affirmed that modern medical equipment and good doctors who will perform operations are what are needed.

This House is well aware that Ireland is among the states which have taken a lead in rendering humanitarian aid to Belarussian children to relieve the after-effects of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. At least ten other European countries are involved in this particular project. We in Ireland are familiar with the exceptional work of the Chernobyl Children's Project and quite a number of other agencies unconnected with Adi Roche. I have experience of the very real needs of the Chernobyl children and of the benefits that rest and recuperation brings to their lives. Any of us who have been in contact with children in this respect see how well they blossom as a result of the fresh air and good medical care available in Ireland.

The House will share the Government's deep concern over the implications of President Lukashenko's announcement for the continuation of this admirable and constructive engagement with the people of Belarus.

In the discussion of Belarus at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 22 November, I took the opportunity to raise the issue of Chernobyl children continuing to be able to travel abroad for rest and recuperation. I shared with my colleagues my strong concern at this development and pointed out that, if implemented, the new regulations would add a new and worrying dimension to the self-isolation of Belarus from the rest of Europe. I asked the high representative, Javier Solana, and my ministerial colleagues to share any information that might come to light in their countries to assist Ireland's efforts to clarify what exactly the new regulations will involve in practice. I emphasised that this is an issue which Ireland would wish to see pursued by the EU with the Belarussian authorities on humanitarian grounds with a view to encouraging them to modify their position

In addition to raising the matter at EU level, I and my Department are taking all possible steps to pursue it through bilateral channels. On my instructions, the Irish ambassador in Moscow, who is accredited to Belarus, will meet tomorrow with the ambassador of Belarus in Moscow to seek clarification on my concerns. The Irish ambassador in London is arranging to meet the ambassador-designate of Belarus to Ireland. The ambassador-designate will present his credentials as ambassador to Ireland to the President next month. This offers a further opportunity to communicate our concerns and to press Belarus to modify its proposed position. On all occasions, we will express the hope that the Belarussian authorities, who have previously thanked the Irish Government and people of Ireland for providing substantial assistance in minimising the after effects of the Chernobyl NNP accident, will on humanitarian grounds continue to allow the Chernobyl children to travel abroad for rest and recuperation.

I will also ensure that there is close ongoing liaison on this issue between my Department and the Chernobyl Children's Project. I indicated that I regard this development as adding a new and worrying dimension to the isolation of Belarus from the rest of Europe. Belarus is a European country of considerable potential which, tragically, has become increasingly isolated from the European mainstream. The policies pursued by the Government of Belarus, notably the lack of progress towards democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights, have prevented Belarus from taking up its rightful place among European democratic countries. Since 1997, the EU has restricted ministerial level contacts with Belarus. With the exception of humanitarian or regional projects or those which directly support the democratisation process, Community technical assistance programmes to Belarus have been halted since 1997. The conduct and outcome of the parliamentary elections and referendum of 17 October were another missed opportunity for Belarus. Having made very clear in advance that an unfair election would not be without consequences for its policy towards Belarus, the European Union duly reviewed its policy. It achieved an outcome which strikes a good balance and which highlights once again the willingness of the European Union to deepen its relationship with Belarus once the Belarussian authorities clearly demonstrate their willingness to respect democratic values and the rule of law.

As it borders Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, Belarus is now an immediate neighbour of the European Union. As such, it has the opportunity to be an active partner of the Union in the framework of the European neighbourhood policy provided it reverses its present policies and embarks on fundamental democratic and economic reforms to bring the country closer to European common values. This, in a nutshell, is the EU's approach to Belarus and is clearly restated in the latest conclusions on Belarus adopted on Monday by the General Affairs and External Relations Council.

At the same time, the Union is prepared to continue to intensify its efforts to assist Belarus to meet challenges arising from its self-isolation. Community and member states' assistance programmes will directly support democratisation and democratic forces in Belarus, notably by humanitarian, regional and cross-border co-operation. To co-ordinate this assistance, the Commission will organise a workshop in Lithuania with the participation of member states, other interested countries, NGOs and other relevant actors. At the GAERC meeting on 22 November, I recommended that the Chernobyl Children's Project, whose experience and expertise equip it to make a valuable contribution, should be invited to participate in this workshop. The initial contact and response from the Commission and the Council was positive.

As I stated, this issue is of utmost concern to the Government. My Department will continue to monitor developments closely and to pursue the matter through all appropriate channels. I thank the Deputies for giving me the opportunity to put this statement on the record.

The Dáil adjourned at 10.35 p.m. until10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 25 November 2004.