Thank you. I will deal with general affairs and external relations in my opening comments because the agenda is a little thin on general affairs.
I am pleased to have this opportunity to appear before the committee and to brief members in preparation for the Council meeting which takes place in Brussels on 21 and 22 July. I will attend the meeting in place of the Minister for Foreign Affairs who is travelling to an EU-Asia meeting on the opening day of the Council.
The main item on the General Affairs agenda will be a public debate on the Presidency programme. Given that Ireland will assume the Presidency on 1 January 2004, we will be taking a particular interest in the Italian programme and in facilitating and assisting the Italians with what is quite a well laid out programme. Ireland wishes to be as supportive as possible of the Italian Presidency in implementing its objectives. This includes work on the Inter-governmental Conference which the Presidency intends to convene formally in Rome on 4 October 2003, a littleearlier than expected.
In external relations, the first issue is to deal with the Middle East peace process. While violence in the occupied territories and Israel continues, there have been a number of positive developments in the peace process in recent weeks. Ministers will meet the Israeli and Palestinian Foreign Ministers during the course of next week's Council meeting and will be briefed on the perspectives from both sides. The new European Special Representative for the Middle East, the distinguished Belgian ambassador, Marc Otte, will also attend the meeting. On 30 June, Ministers for Foreign affairs welcomed the ceasefire announced by Hamas and the Israeli decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and from Bethlehem.
It is important that there should be clear and firm international support for the efforts of the parties in the peace process. Undoubtedly there will be those on both sides who will work to undermine the ceasefire and to destroy the road map for peace. As we know from our experience of peace process and peace making, incidents of terrorism and provocation are almost inevitable and they should not be allowed to derail the process. Even in the face of terrorism and provocation, it must be remembered that the only alternative to pursuing the road map is an unending cycle of violence. We must encourage both Israel and the Palestinian Governments not to allow violence to deflect them from the task of building peace.
The role of the Quartet - the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia - in supporting peace efforts will be vital. We look forward to assisting in that work over the next year in the Troika, as the holder of the Presidency of the European Union and as a member of the Quartet. The initiative of the Arab League Foreign Ministers at their Beirut meeting in March of last year remains important and must be an element in a comprehensive peace settlement. I remind members that the initiative of the Arab League Foreign Ministers was a gesture of intent to assist in the peace process. I recently met all the Arab ambassadors accredited to Ireland and this was an issue that was discussed. I have no doubt of the sincerity of the Arab League's concerns in this regard.
During his visit to the region, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Cowen, met President Arafat. This is in line with Ireland's analysis and with the European Union view that to try to boost Prime Minister Abbas by undermining President Arafat would be counter-productive. The view is shared by all Arab leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas.
Ireland has long taken a deep and sympathetic interest in the affairs of the region, as evidenced by its participation in UN peacekeeping operations for over a quarter of a century. We shall continue our efforts and look forward to working constructively with our European and international partners.
In recent weeks, considerable concern has been expressed over the potential of Iran's nuclear programmes. The issue is on the agenda. The Government shares the widely-held concern to strengthen non-proliferation in this very sensitive region. For this reason, Ireland supports continued dialogue on the issue between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran. In that context, we welcome the fact that Dr. Al Baraday has been invited to return to Iran and that his meetings there appear to have been useful and constructive. We hope this week's visit to Iran by experts from the IAEA will be equally productive. The EU will continue to press for action by Iran on human rights, non-proliferation, support on dealing with terrorism and support for the Middle East peace process. We continue to believe that engagement and dialogue with Iran represent the best way forward.
At the forthcoming Council, Ministers are due to consider the question of a United Nations resolution on the death penalty. If a decision is taken at the Council to table a resolution at the forthcoming UN General Assembly on the abolition of the death penalty, Ireland will strongly support the resolution and will work with other like-minded states to seek its adoption in the General Assembly. In common with its European partners, Ireland considers that the abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights. We are committed to working for the universal abolition of the death penalty and to taking systematic action in this regard in our relations with the Third World and at appropriate international fora. The draft constitutional treaty which was recently signed at the Convention on the Future of Europe makes it clear that the death penalty will be banned throughout the European Union and that is to be welcomed.
The Council is also due to consider the most recent developments in Iraq. The Government continues to be concerned at the deterioration in that country. We welcome the inauguration of a new governing council as a much-needed first step towards the handing over of power to the Iraqi people. The Government has made clear from the outset its conviction that the Iraqi people have the inalienable right to a representative Government of their own choosing. The sooner this can be achieved, the better for everybody. It is hoped that once the first step has been taken, there will be steady and rapid progress towards that end.
In common with the wider international community, the Government also takes the view that the United Nations should play a central role in the reconstruction of Iraq. We welcome the greater definition of the UN role which emerged from the discussions in the Security Council, particularly in asserting the emergence of representative political institutions. It is important that the Special Representative be given a clear mandate which will prove to be effective. The effective discharge of that mandate will be important in winning international acceptance of the legitimacy of Iraq's future political structures. We believe that the Special Representative's experience will be invaluable. Members will be aware that the Special Representative succeeded Mary Robinson in her post.
On the issue of the International Criminal Court, which is another agenda item, Ireland has been actively involved in the negotiations of the Rome Statute and since then has been regarded as a strong supporter of the ICC. This is borne out by the successful election earlier this year of Ireland's nominee to the position of judge in the International Criminal Court.
As a member of the European Union, Ireland has been active in the Union's efforts to ensure that as many states as possible sign and ratify the Rome Statute. Equally, it has been one of the strongest advocates within the Union of making the EU guidelines known to countries that are contemplating bilateral, non-surrender agreements. These issues have been in the news in recent days. We wish to ensure that these countries are aware of the elements such an agreement must contain and must avoid if it is to be compatible with the Rome Statute. Accordingly, Ireland is supportive of the Netherlands proposal to stiffen the language to do with the ICC and will be engaged at official level with partners in the political and security committee in tightening up the language ahead of its adoption at the Council.
In any discussion on the ICC, Ireland will stress the importance of reiterating the Union's support for the International Criminal Court but doing so in a non-confrontational manner, to avoid unnecessary transatlantic friction, while at the same time acknowledging the very real commitment shown by many states to the Court in difficult circumstances.
The Council will discuss the future of the current EU stabilisation and monitoring mission in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia. Launched in March this year, Operation Concordia is generally perceived to have been successful so far. It has played a useful, complementary role in the EU's overall approach to the Balkans. In the former Yugoslav republic, authorities have requested a short extension of the mission under the same terms, beyond its scheduled conclusion at the end of September. I anticipate the Council's response to this request will be favourable.
The prospect of a possible EU police mission as a follow-on to Concordia is likely to arise during the Council meeting, at the request of the FYROM authorities. The details of such a potential further role for the EU remain to be fleshed out. It is likely that the Council will direct that this work should be brought forward. I expect that the Council will revisit this matter at an early stage in the autumn.
Ministers will be invited to approve formal Council conclusions on the theme of EU-UN co-operation in crisis management. This is an important and welcome initiative by the Italian Presidency. While the text remains to be finalised, I anticipate that Ireland will be able to give it full support.
Discussion of the agenda item on Africa is likely to focus on two issues, the first of which is EU-Africa relations in general. The situation in the Great Lakes region, including the EU-led temporary stabilisation force in the north-eastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Operation Artemis, will also be discussed. The EU high representative, Mr. Solana, is scheduled to visit the Great Lakes region on 15 and 16 July for meetings with the President of the DRC, Mr. Joseph Kabila, the President of Rwanda, Mr. Paul Kagame, and the President of Uganda, Mr. Yoweri Museveni. He will then report to the UN Security Council on Operation Artemis.
The EU-led temporary stabilisation mission in the north-eastern DRC province of lturi, Operation Artemis, has been under way since mid-June and is scheduled to conclude on 1 September next. The basis for the mission lies in Chapter VII of the UN Charter, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 1484. This resolution authorises the deployment of an interim emergency multinational force to contribute to the stabilisation of the security and humanitarian situation in the city of Bunia. The EU's intervention followed a direct request from the UN Secretary General to help the response to the ongoing crisis in the area, especially in Bunia. I welcome this further concrete evidence of close co-operation between the EU and the UN in the area of crisis management. Five members of the Defence Forces are participating in Operation Artemis. While the mission has been successful in helping to restore calm to Bunia so far, the overall security situation is reported to remain volatile. Close co-ordination between the EU force and the UN mission in the DRC will be necessary on an ongoing basis.
The role of the EU in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will not end on 1 September next. Initial consideration is being given to providing possible further assistance to strengthened UN observer operations there from mid-August, including by supporting local Congolese police forces. The political and security committee is discussing longer-term EU political support for the peace process in the DRC, including support for the transitional Government. In the meantime, negotiations are continuing at the UN Security Council on strengthening the mandate and increasing the force of the UN observer force in that country.
The EU Presidency will report on EU Troika meetings at the summit of the African Union which took place last week in Mozambique. Both sides of the EU-Africa dialogue recognise that the participation of Zimbabwe remains an obstacle to the early holding of a summit. There is agreement to continue the process by having further discussions on the eight agreed areas of priority.
Another item on the Council's agenda is the draft Council conclusions on the preparations for the 5th World Trade Organisation ministerial conference, to be held in Cancun between 10 and 14 September next. The conclusions highlight issues of particular importance for the EU in the lead-in to the conference. It is standard practice for EU member states to outline the key issues of critical importance to them and the broad-based stance they will take in negotiations during the conference. The Council is expected to reaffirm the EU's fundamental commitment to the multilateral trading system and to a successful conclusion to the Doha development agenda.
Members of the committee may wish to note that, as Ireland is now part of the Troika, I will attend the association council meeting withJordan and the co-operation council meetings with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, due to be held on 22 July. I will be very pleased to take any questions committee members may have about these matters.