I have been advised that as Deputy Seán Conlan is not present, Question No. 94 will be replied to with Written Answers.
Other Questions
Question No. 94 replied to with Written Answers.
Eurozone Issues
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:95. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken to the Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nikos Kotzias, since the results of the Greek referendum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28399/15]
Tomorrow workers in Greece will commence a 24-hour general strike and there will be mass protests all over Greece against the shameful bullying by the troika and EU governments in attempting to shove another austerity package down the throats of the Greek people who will be protesting against the tragic capitulation of Alex Tsipras’ Government to the austerity agenda. How does the Minister respond to the allegation, made by the former Greek Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, in the article in New Statesman published in the last day or two, that Ireland was one of what he described as the major opponents of the Greek Government in seeking a debt writedown and real relief from the austerity package the troika was trying to impose?
To address the question as tabled by the Deputy, I have not spoken to the Minister, Mr. Kotzias, since the referendum was held in Greece on 5 July. The Deputy and the House will be aware that, following the referendum, Finance Ministers of the euro area member states and Heads of State or Government have met on numerous occasions. The leaders have agreed in principle that they are ready to commence negotiations on an ESM financial assistance programme for Greece.
In response to what the Deputy has just said, the euro area has an obligation to Greece in these difficult times, but Greece also has an obligation to itself. It needs to reform its economy and return it to a measure of sustainable growth. I have not read the article to which the Deputy refers. However, Ireland, together with the other member states, understands and empathises with the difficult situation being faced by the Greek people. That is why there has been a willingness to negotiate a way forward which takes account of the realities of the situation in Greece and the political priorities of its new government, while also respecting the commitments it has already entered into.
Greece is a sovereign state. It is for it to decide whether it wishes to accept the financial aid offered by its European partners. It is in all of our interests that Greece remains firmly in the euro area. However, as a member of the euro area, each member state continues to have its obligations. It is no different for Greece. That is precisely why, following a request by the Greek authorities for a third programme under the ESM, leaders of the euro area member states have agreed in principle that they are ready to commence negotiations on an ESM financial assistance programme for Greece. For recovery of the Greek economy to take place, a number of difficult and challenging reforms have to be undertaken - these are inevitable. In that regard, we continue to urge the Greek authorities to keep to their commitments and legislate without delay for the first set of agreed trust-building measures which I understand will be under way in the Greek Parliament in the next 24 to 36 hours.
The so-called bailout is conditional on the acceptance of further pension cuts, savage spending cuts, VAT increases, €50 billion worth of further privatisations, more repossessions of homes and foreclosures on small businesses. This is in a country in which the level of poverty has increased by 98%, the child mortality rate has increased by 42%, pensions have been slashed by 45% and salaries have been cut by 40%. How can the Minister and his friends in the troika honestly say the Greek people must take more pain when they are being crushed?
How does the Minister respond to the allegation from the former Greek finance Minister that Ireland, along with a few other countries, was foremost in insisting that Greece and its people must accept more vicious austerity or get no assistance from Europe? That is a shameful betrayal of people who have been crushed. Mr. Varoufakis says that the reason Ireland took this position was fear of political embarrassment if the Greek people got any relief on debt and austerity.
I do not accept that Ireland has been placed in the position alleged by the Deputy. Ireland continues to have great sympathy for the people of Greece. My colleague, the Minister for Finance, has expressed that view publicly on several occasions over the past few weeks, which have been a very challenging period. It has been reported directly that the Minister had been most helpful to the Greek authorities in moving to a position whereby negotiations of a realistic nature were taking place up until the end of June. Reports over the weekend show a similarly important role played by our Minister in ensuring that the talks and negotiations were kept on track. Ultimately, the reforms that are appropriate and necessary for a further bailout are a matter for the Greek Government and authorities.
Does the Minister not actually mean that the Minister, Deputy Noonan, has assisted in what is effectively a coup d'état in Greece? There is a deliberate attempt by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the troika to split the Greek Government in order to ram more unconscionable austerity down the throats of people who are on their knees. Does the fact that there is going to be a general strike tomorrow not prove that Tsipras's Government, in its shameful capitulation, does not enjoy the support of the Greek people? They are on the streets yet again tomorrow because they cannot take it.
Why has our Government sided with the euro bullies against the wishes and needs of the Greek people, instead of standing up for a Europe of democracy and solidarity? The European project as a notion of solidarity and co-operation is dead in the water. It has exposed itself now as a bullying, corporate, bank-dominated austerity juggernaut that cares nothing for democracy.
I do not accept that at all. The agreement concerns the matter of fundamentally rebuilding trust between the authorities in Greece and the 18 other member states of the euro area. In this regard, I urge the Greek authorities to keep their commitments and to legislate without delay - as I understand they are doing - on the first set of trust-building measures. It is important that this Parliament and other parliaments in the eurozone and the EU acknowledge a fact with which the Deputy seems to have a difficulty, namely that Greece is a sovereign state. It is for Greece to decide whether it wishes to accept the financial aid package offered by its European partners or take another course. There has always been a willingness to negotiate a way forward which takes account of the realities of the situation in Greece and the political priorities of its new Government. I note that the new Greek finance Minister has received no mention from Deputy Boyd Barrett. The Deputy was obviously very much a fan and supporter of his predecessor.
Ministerial Dialogue
Paul Murphy
Question:96. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on any discussions held with his Greek counterpart or other officials since the referendum held on 5 July 2015. [28377/15]
The Government's public profession of sympathy for the Greek people and occasional abuse of the word "solidarity" in respect of them has been exposed as entirely empty rhetoric, which covered up, behind the scenes in the closed rooms in Brussels, active participation in a coup with which the Syriza Government was unfortunately complicit and which has reduced Greece not to a sovereign state but to colonial status within Europe.
Does the Minister not agree the Varoufakis interview confirms that and, as I put to the Taoiseach just two weeks ago, that it also confirms the Government’s actions were stabbing the Greek people in the chest and the Irish people in the back?
This seems to be an echo of the identical type of question from Deputy Boyd Barrett. I have not held any discussions with my Greek counterpart or any Greek officials since the referendum was held in Greece on 5 July. The agreement reached on 13 July is not a new deal. Rather, it sets out the modalities for the conduct of negotiations with a view towards the reaching of agreement.
I will repeat what I said in response to Deputy Boyd Barrett. It is incumbent on the Greek authorities to recognise their need to proceed to legislate, which I am sure the sovereign parliament will do, on the matter of value added tax, pensions and reforms by 15 July, and a further set of reforms by the following week, 22 July. Only when and if that course of action is completed and passed and the legislation is enacted in the sovereign parliament in Athens can discussions on the new programme commence.
That is yet another threat from the Minister, the same threats that have come from the Eurogroup, the Commission President and the President of the European Parliament. The Greek Government was negotiating under pressure with a gun to its head. It was told that if it did not agree to the horrific austerity that will destroy the Greek people and economy, it would be out of the eurozone and they would bring down its banking system. Where was the Minister for Finance during the process? He, along with Wolfgang Schäuble, was screaming that they should pull the trigger and pull the support from the Greek banks. The demands put on the Greek Government are to destroy and devastate the Greek economy.
If Syriza votes for it as a whole, which the majority is likely to do, it will finish itself as a political force having sold out the people in terms of the basis on which they voted for it and that will bring an end to the government. I support those in the Greek Parliament who will vote “No”. I support those who will mobilise in the general strike to vote “No”, but let us be clear on the rotten role of the Government. This is not democracy. This is not a democratic European Union. Greece is not being treated as any sort of sovereign state. Europe has bullied Greece and more bullying is evident in the recent agreement which aims to humiliate and ensure no example exists of an alternative to austerity that could embarrass the Government or that of Prime Minister Rajoy in Spain, or that in Portugal or elsewhere.
I very much reject any assertion that Ireland, its Minister for Finance in particular, or anybody else for or on behalf of this country engaged in the type of behaviour alleged by Deputy Paul Murphy. The agreement is far from humiliating Greece or its people. It is about an attempt to rebuild trust between the Government of Greece on behalf of the people of Greece and the euro state governments.
I understand that a course of action has already been embarked upon by the Greek Government within its Parliament to mark its commitments and proceed with a programme of legislative reform over the next few days. I stress for the benefit of Deputy Murphy that Greece is a sovereign state and it is for Greece itself to decide whether it wishes to accept the financial aid package offered by the European partners or seek an alternative route.
This agreement is about the deliberate humiliation of the Greek people and the Greek Government. Some of the finance Ministers at the Eurogroup admitted it. They said the reason the agreement is so harsh is because the Greek people, through an incredible act of insubordination, had a democratic referendum and opted to reject austerity.
As a result, the EU demanded more austerity. Does a sovereign state hand €50 billion worth of its assets to a supposedly independent fund? Does it hand over its assets to one that was originally proposed to be controlled by the German finance Minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, making these presentations? Does a sovereign state agree to have automatic austerity and to cede power to an unelected fiscal council? This is about humiliation, a dictatorship of capital and the rich in Europe, and the Irish Government trying to avoid humiliation. Yanis Varoufakis said of other indebted countries:
The reason of course was their greatest nightmare was our success: were we to succeed in negotiating a better deal for Greece, that would of course obliterate them politically, they would have to answer to their own people why they didn’t negotiate like we were doing.
This was the dominant motivation of the Irish Government, which is willing to see Greek people starve and die as a result in order to enhance their political position.
I acknowledge the very positive and helpful contribution by the Minister for Finance, particularly as the talks hit a critical stage over the last few days. While it is in all our interests that Greece remain in the euro area, each fully fledged member has, and will continue to have, obligations. This is no different for the Greek Government, and this is why, following a request on the part of the Greek authorities for a third programme under the ESM, leaders of the euro area member states have agreed in principle that they are ready and willing to commence negotiations on an ESM financial assistance programme for Greece as soon as the Greek authorities complete their programme of legislation and reform in order to facilitate the commencement of the negotiations.
Foreign Policy
Paul Murphy
Question:97. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the current position of a person (details supplied); if he will report on the person's welfare, and consular assistance provided to the person and to the person's family; and if he will report on interactions with the Egyptian authorities. [28378/15]
We have had numerous questions here about Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa, who is still in prison in Egypt and has been for almost two years. The Government's response to these questions has always been the same and it is evident that the Government's strategy and approach is not working. Is the Government willing to escalate its calls for Ibrahim's release? Is the Government willing for the Taoiseach to make a call?
My Department has a very clear strategy in place focused on achieving a positive outcome at the earliest opportunity. The strategy is based on two clear objectives, namely, to see the individual released by the Egyptian authorities so he can return to his family and his studies here in Dublin, and to provide consular support for his welfare while he remains in detention. Over the past year, I have engaged intensively with the Egyptian authorities, the EU and other international partners at a very high level on the case. I have spoken to my Egyptian counterpart directly on several occasions and raised concerns with him about the length of time our citizen has been in detention without trial or conviction. My officials are in ongoing contact with the Egyptian embassy in Dublin and the Egyptian authorities in Cairo. At the hearing on 3 June, which was attended by Irish officials, a number of defence lawyers requested that no further hearings would take place during the Ramadan period. The judge agreed to this and scheduled the next hearing for 2 August, at which embassy officials will also be present.
The Taoiseach and I last met the individual's family on 4 June in Dublin. At that meeting, we were informed that he had indicated he was considering embarking on a hunger strike. Noting that his welfare was of paramount concern we advised against this course of action, saying it was unlikely to serve any positive purpose in his trial and would be detrimental to his health. Embassy officials visited our citizen last week. During this visit, he informed the officials that he had relaxed his hunger strike somewhat, and it would appear that he is taking fluids and some food. This is a welcome development.
There is no doubt that prisons abroad can be places of fear and intimidation for Irish citizens, and this creates stress and anxiety for the citizens and their families. The welfare of any Irish citizen imprisoned abroad is a matter taken extremely seriously by the Government. Where allegations of mistreatment have been made, my Department has taken the appropriate action. While our citizen remains in detention, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is doing everything it can to protect his welfare, and to ensure prison conditions for him are as good as they can be. Since his arrest in August 2013, the citizen has been visited a total of 42 times by embassy officials. This unprecedented level of consular visitation indicates clearly the priority we continue to place on doing all we can to monitor carefully his welfare in detention, and to advocate strongly on his behalf to the Egyptian authorities.
While I appreciate the consular assistance, the problem is that Mr. Halawa is still in prison, almost two years on. Is it time to try a different strategy than that of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade? Is it not time for the Taoiseach to intervene, as Australian and Canadian Heads of State did in the cases of Peter Greste and Mohamed Fahmy, respectively, who were consequently released? Could the Minister respond to the suggestion by a human rights lawyer that he was not aware of any formal support by the Irish Government of a request by lawyers in Cairo for the release of Mr. Halawa under a presidential decree? Could the Minister confirm that the Government has sent a formal note of support, or other appropriate means of communication, for the request? Could the Minister respond to the recent allegation by the human rights lawyer, Gráinne Mellon, that Mr. Halawa had been a victim of multiple beatings using whips, chains and sticks while in prison?
The Government takes any allegations of ill treatment or mistreatment very seriously and will ensure these issues are raised at the highest level. We continue to maintain extensive contacts with the Egyptian authorities and other international partners through the EU and beyond, many of which have had citizens in similar circumstances. On examining other similar cases, it remains very clear that, irrespective of political efforts made by foreign governments, including high-level requests, the other trials were completed before any political consideration of a possible release by the Egyptian authorities took place. The trial of the individual mentioned by Deputy Paul Murphy is ongoing. While we continue to maintain extensive contacts with the Egyptian authorities, including at very high levels, the precedents suggest it is unrealistic to expect any release until the initial trial takes place and is concluded. It is the Government's considered approach-----
It is not enough.
It is all very fine for Deputy Finian McGrath-----
It is not all very fine. There is much credit in what people have said. The man was beaten up recently.
One speaker please. Deputy, you are out of order.
It is nonsense. It is disgraceful. The Minister should turn up the heat. We have been talking about it here for weeks.
Deputy, you have just arrived in the Chamber. Please, do not interrupt.
I retain my view, and if Deputy Finian McGrath wants to engage in correspondence or representations, I will be more than happy to hear from him.
I already have.
I have not heard from him. It is the Government's considered approach, supported by decades of diplomatic experience in other cases and extensive consultation with people in other states involved in similar situations, that our current objective remains the release and return home of the citizen to his family here in Dublin.