I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, to this meeting of the committee. He will discuss the agenda of the forthcoming meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council. I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan. We will follow the usual format. Members have received the usual brief for today's meeting. The committee's officials have circulated the conclusions from the last Council meeting, as well as the eight points which were discussed at the meeting. I ask the Minister to address the committee.
General Affairs and External Relations Council: Ministerial Presentation.
The agenda for next week's meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council is quite full. Members of the committee are aware that the November meeting of the Council traditionally deals with European security and defence policy issues. Therefore, next Monday's meeting will be attended by the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, as well as by me as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Ministers from each member state who are responsible for development co-operation usually attend one Council meeting during each Presidency. Therefore, the Minister of State with responsibility for human rights and development co-operation, Deputy Conor Lenihan, will also represent Ireland at the meeting. Before moving on to external relations issues, I propose to speak about matters relating to the general affairs aspect of the meeting. The Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, will then speak about development issues.
The General Affairs and External Relations Council will consider briefly the draft annotated agenda for the European Council meeting of 16 and 17 December next, which has been circulated by the Presidency. The key issues on the draft agenda include enlargement, the fight against terrorism, the financial framework from 2007 to 2013, the adoption of the EU drugs strategy between 2005 and 2012 and a range of important external relations issues, including the Middle East peace process and developments in Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Afghanistan. Work will continue on the draft agenda in the coming weeks. It is expected that there will be a more detailed discussion on the matter at the December Council meeting.
The Dutch Presidency has undertaken an intensive work programme at official level on the financial framework between 2007 to 2013. This work reflects the Presidency's aim of achieving agreement on principles and guidelines at the December meeting of the European Council. The Ministers will discuss a progress report, which will outline the current state of play on each of the five proposed budgetary headings. They will examine the various expenditure options under headings devised by the Presidency to reflect member states' positions. Clear progress has been made on identifying generally agreed principles in each area. The Council's discussions will inform the Presidency's work when it drafts a progress report for the December Council.
Ministers will discuss the European Commission's external relations proposals. Ireland recognises the need for the EU to be adequately resourced to meet its external challenges. It wishes to ensure that the Union's commitment to development objectives remains undiluted. The Council may discuss the draft regulations proposed by the Commission in July on providing assistance for the Turkish Cypriot community. The nature of the discussion will depend on the outcome of today's meeting of ambassadors in Brussels.
I will address the external relations agenda, starting with the basket of European security and defence policy matters to be discussed by the Council. The civilian and military capabilities commitment conferences, which will take place in the margins of the Council, are of particular importance. I will attend the civilian conference and the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, will attend the military conference. The conferences are designed to enable the Union to respond to crises beyond its borders with a range of civilian and military resources. This means having the capability to deploy a military peacekeeping operation rapidly. It also involves following the deployment with an operation which focuses on training police, for example, or providing advice on re-establishing a functioning judicial system.
The EU's engagement in Bosnia Herzegovina is a practical example of such an approach. The successful EU police mission that has been under way in that country since January 2003 has been led by the assistant Garda Commissioner, Kevin Carty. The mission focuses on training and mentoring the Bosnian police force on matters such as fighting against organised crime, maintaining border control and improving co-operation between the police and the judiciary. The EU is preparing to launch a military crisis management mission, Operation Althea, which will take over the duties of the stabilisation force in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will provide a stable and secure environment for the continued development and reconstruction of Bosnian society. The Government plans to contribute 52 Defence Forces personnel to Operation Althea, subject to the adoption of a UN mandate and Dáil approval.
The intention of Monday's capabilities commitment conference is to develop further the European Union's capacity to pursue such missions. It is expected that Ministers will declare at the conference that the EU has exceeded the targets it has set in respect of the number of personnel available to take part in civilian missions. Ireland will reaffirm its commitments in this area, which include making available up to 80 gardaí and ten rule of law experts for deployment to missions on a voluntary and case-by-case basis.
The conference will also consider so-called battle groups, or rapid response elements. It seems that all member states with the exceptions of Denmark, which has an opt-out clause in the ESDP area, and Malta will indicate that they will participate in the initiative. Members of the committee who attended the presentation by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to the National Forum on Europe will recall that he emphasised the importance the UN attaches to the role of regional organisations in carrying out peacekeeping tasks. He made clear at the forum and in his private conversations with me that he thought the battle groups initiative could play an important role in supporting the UN, specifically in cases which require rapid deployment. Ireland's participation in the initiative was reviewed by the Government on Tuesday, but no decision has yet been made on whether Ireland will participate in rapid response elements. A further examination of the detailed aspects of such participation will be undertaken before a final decision to participate is taken.
The Council will approve at next week's meeting a number of European security and defence policy initiatives, such as the action plan for EU support for peace and security in Africa, the guidelines for the European Defence Agency's 2005 work programme and the agency's budget for 2005. Ministers will review the operation of the Athena financing mechanism for crisis management operations, in light of the lessons learned from the financing of the first EU military crisis management operations in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003.
I wish to discuss other external relations matters which are on the agenda for the meeting. The Middle East peace process will be discussed in the context of the recent death of Yasser Arafat. Members will recall that the European Council endorsed earlier this month a short-term programme of action relating to Palestinian security, reforms, elections and the economy, which had been proposed by the EU high representative, Javier Solana. The Council invited Mr. Solana to conduct consultations with the parties, the international community and, especially, the quartet on how to relaunch a meaningful political process of negotiations which might lead to a peaceful settlement. I expect the Council to devote much of its time to considering the progress and prospects for the measures. While no draft conclusions have been circulated, it seems reasonable to expect that conclusions will be adopted setting out the EU's views on how the parties and the international community can best advance the peaceful resolution of the conflict in the wake of recent events.
It is important that stability is maintained within the Palestinian Authority and, if possible, built on. The death of President Arafat is an unparalleled change in the political landscape of the region. It confronts the Palestinian leadership with significant challenges in managing the transition and ensuring that progress is maintained in the peace process. The EU will need to make clear its willingness to support the interim leadership and the elections which will take place in the coming weeks. I hope the death of President Arafat will lead to a refocusing of minds on the need to get the process back on track. The EU has stated its readiness to help the Palestinian Authority in its efforts to make progress on the roadmap.
Ministers will consider recent positive developments in respect of Iran's nuclear programme. Foreign Ministers discussed the issue of Iran's nuclear programme at a meeting of the European Council earlier this month, especially in the context of the meeting in late November of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. There appears to have been a degree of progress since the Council meeting. I welcome Iran's announcement on 14 November that it is prepared to suspend all uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities. I look forward to the agency's verification of that decision. The EU will continue to pursue dialogue with Iran on issues, in particular through the efforts of France, Germany, the UK and Javier Solana. The EU continues to believe that Iran should co-operate proactively with the IAEA in a spirit of full transparency, with a view to resolving all outstanding concerns about its nuclear programme.
The Council's discussion on Ukraine will focus on the EU's relations with that country, particularly in the context of the second and final round of presidential elections scheduled for 21 November. The elections will be an important benchmark of the commitment of Ukraine, which is a key neighbour and partner for the Union, to democratic values. The level and scope of co-operation between the EU and Ukraine will continue to be largely defined by the progress of political and economic reform within that country. The people of Ukraine will have an opportunity to express their views democratically in next Sunday's elections. I reiterate the hope of Ireland and its EU partners that conditions will be in place to ensure that the elections are fully free and fair.
Ministers will review the preparations for the EU-China summit due to be held in The Hague on 8 December. Such meetings take place on an annual basis — the last summit was held in Beijing in October 2003 — as part of the EU's regular engagement with China on a number of levels. Over the past year, there has been a foreign Ministers Troika led by the Irish Presidency in April 2004, an EU-China seminar at official level and two sessions of the EU-China human rights dialogue. Two seminars aimed at helping China move towards ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights were attended by EU experts, including Irish experts. I am awaiting the agenda and the draft EU-China joint declaration for the summit. Customs co-operation may be one of the concrete economic outcomes of the summit and Ministers may refer to EU-China dialogues on macro-economic and employment issues. An EU-China business summit is being planned for 7 December. The EU and China are expected to adopt a joint declaration on non-proliferation and arms control.
The Council will discuss a number of issues relating to Africa. There has been a serious breakdown of security in the Ivory Coast following the launch of a Government offensive against rebel-held areas on 4 November last. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on 15 November last condemning the Ivorian Government's actions and calling on both sides to support the ceasefire which was agreed in May 2003. The resolution put in place an immediate arms embargo and provided for further targeted sanctions if either side fails to comply with its obligations under the peace agreements. Ministers will review all matters of concern, including serious violence directed against French and other non-Ivorian nationals and attacks on the UN operation and French peacekeeping troops. There can be no military solution to the problems of the Ivory Coast. Progress can be achieved only through the resumption of political dialogue and the honouring in full by both sides of commitments under the relevant peace accords.
The Council will also discuss developments in Sudan where, despite considerable international attention, insecurity continues to be a key constraint in Darfur and the overall humanitarian situation remains critical. The main focuses of Monday's discussion will be the report given to the UN Security Council by the special representative, Mr. Jan Pronk, the peace talks in Abuja and the upcoming meeting of the Security Council in Nairobi. I welcome the recent progress in the Abuja peace talks between the Government and the Darfur rebel groups and the signing of the humanitarian and security protocols by all sides in the conflict. We must continue to press for speedy and substantial progress in the peace talks in Abuja and Naivasha. Finalising and implementing a peace agreement for southern Sudan will greatly assist in resolution of the Darfur conflict.
The Council will also consider the situation in the Great Lakes at the international summit which will take place in Dar es Salaam at the end of this week, 19 and 20 November. It is extremely encouraging that the Great Lakes conference, first proposed over a decade ago, is now to take place and will adopt a declaration of principles which will, I hope, provide the basis for a more detailed and action oriented peace and security pact for the region, to be adopted at a second summit of the conference next year.
Ireland supports the objectives of the conference and has contributed €200,000 to support the holding of the conference. The Council will no doubt wish to reflect on how the EU can assist further the conference process and ensure the achievements of Dar es Salaam are translated into a substantive peace and security pact that can be adopted next year. The Presidency will also report on the Troika mission to the Great Lakes, which is being held in conjunction with the conference, and provide an update on what additional EU support might be available to help reinforce the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Council is expected to adopt conclusions welcoming recent positive developments in the Somalia peace process, which include the election of a transitional federal parliament and a President and the appointment of a Prime Minister. The Council will stress the need for early establishment of a broad based government in Somalia, which will tackle the major political challenges of demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration; internal reconciliation; peaceful dialogue with the Somaliland region and maintaining regional cohesion. It will also emphasise that the establishment of a secure environment in Somalia will require an effective and internationally verifiable ceasefire agreement. The Council will indicate that the EU will continue to support the peace and reconciliation process and the transition to a federal state in Somalia and that the EU is also ready to examine ways, including through the African peace facility, in which it can support the deployment of an African Union observer mission to support the reconciliation process in Somalia. The Council is also expected to underline the importance of the UN taking a lead role in the international support of a new Somali Government.
Portugal has requested that Guinea Bissau be placed on the agenda under any other business to update member states on the situation in its former colony in west Africa, following a recent mutiny by the military, and to seek international support for the maintenance of peace and stability in the country, which is necessary for overall regional stability.
This will be the Council's fifth debate on improving the effectiveness of EU external policies. It will allow the Council to review the overall coherence of these policies, consider how the effectiveness of EU assistance can be improved and propose guidelines for the following year. In this context, Ministers will consider progress in achieving the millennium development goals, which is a key EU objective. To ensure that these goals are met, the EU must work to improve policy coherence in EU external action. It must also prepare to take a lead at the UN stocktaking on these goals in 2005. The Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, will return to this point. In the context of maximising the effectiveness of EU external assistance, Ministers will focus on the need to pursue constructive policies across the range of issues of interest in all developing countries.
Ministers will also note the relationship between peace and security and sustainable development. Drawing on the full range of instruments available to it, including capabilities for conflict prevention and crisis management, the Union is well placed to contribute to enhancing international security and stability. At the same time, the Union will work to ensure that international security concerns are addressed in synergy with development objectives. This is the approach which the Union is currently taking in Darfur, where support and assistance to the African Union mission there is being provided both by EU member states and through the peace facility for Africa, which became operational during Ireland's recent EU Presidency.
In view of the number of issues to be discussed on Monday, the Presidency has taken the EuroMed ministerial meeting off the agenda. The EuroMed meeting was a procedural item and preparations are in hand for the meeting on 29 and 30 November in The Hague. I will represent Ireland at the meeting and look forward to the opportunity which it will afford to meet my opposite numbers from the Mediterranean countries in a forum which will allow for a free and constructive exchange of views.
Conclusions on Belarus are expected to be adopted without discussion. The issue of Belarus arose at the Council on 2 November and the conclusions for this meeting reconfirm the EU's strong concerns regarding the situation in Belarus following the election and referendum held last month.
The annual EU-Western Balkans forum will take place in the margins of the Council on Monday evening. At the forum, Ministers from the Western Balkans will have an opportunity to brief their EU counterparts on their countries' efforts to implement the Thessaloníki agenda. The Presidency and High Representative Solana will report on EU-Western Balkans relations and the situation in the region and we will also hear from the Commission on its activities. The incoming Luxembourg Presidency will make a short presentation on its policy objectives for the first half of 2005 and the forum will conclude with a signing ceremony for agreements which will permit the countries of the region to participate in Union programmes. There will also be a co-operation Council with South Africa.
It is a wide-ranging agenda. I went through it in some detail as I believe it is necessary that members of the committee are aware of what we will discuss next week.
I thank members and the large representation from the diplomatic corps for attending this discussion of the important meeting which I will attend with the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, next week.
Development co-operation Ministers usually consider a cluster of development co-operation issues at the General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC, once in each Presidency. On this occasion, Ministers are to consider the 2004 annual report on EC development policy and external assistance, the millennium development goals and the follow-up to the Monterrey international conference on financing for development.
This is the Commission's fourth annual report on development policy and external assistance. It sets out the objectives agreed for 2003 and highlights progress against these objectives. The EU is a global player in economic, trade and development terms. It accounts for 55% of global aid flows — about €30 billion annually — of which more than one fifth is managed by the Commission. This assistance is provided for more than 160 countries, territories or organisations worldwide. It is a tangible expression of the EU's commitment to the millennium development goals, which centre on poverty reduction. Since 2000, the core objective of the EU's development policy has been to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty. Through its external assistance, the EU demonstrates its support for the promotion of universal values such as democracy and human rights.
For 2003, the Commission set out to improve the global partnership between north and south, notably by delivering on commitments made at the 2002 UN conferences on financing for development in Monterrey and sustainable development in Johannesburg and by using the framework Cotonou Agreement to affirm Europe's solidarity with Africa. Moreover, the objective was to ensure that the positive effects of globalisation are shared evenly between and within countries, while respecting their cultural diversity and environmental heritage, and to work for a fairer distribution of resources between north and south. Ministers will have an opportunity to consider draft Council conclusions on the 250 page annual report and are expected to adopt these conclusions.
The millennium development goals, which are to be achieved by 2015, provide for the following: the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; the achievement of universal primary education; the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women; reduction in child mortality; improvement in maternal health; combating HIV-AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and the development of a global partnership for development.
The Presidency has divided this agenda item into the following three elements. The first is the Commission's progress report. Ministers will have a brief discussion, in public debate, on the Commission's progress report on the EU's contribution to the 2005 UN review of the millenium development goals, MDGs. This is a stocktaking which is to take place in September 2005 to determine what progress has been made on the way to achieving the MDGs by 2015. Member states have been requested to submit to the Commission this month their national reports on progress in achieving the MDGs. Ireland's report has already been submitted to the Commission.
The second element is international conference on population and development. This is a follow-up to the international conference on population and development, including the Cairo programme of action of 1994. Ministers are to have a discussion on this item and are expected to adopt Council conclusions.
The third element is HIV-AIDS and other major poverty diseases. The Presidency wishes to continue the focus of Ireland's recent EU Presidency, when HIV-AIDS was a key priority of the development co-operation agenda. Ministers are also expected to adopt Council conclusions to give a general political welcome for the recent Commission communication on an integrated framework for major poverty diseases. Ireland has regularly called for such a framework as we believe that HIV-AIDS is a cross-cutting issue and should not be confined to the health sector only, which has been the Commission's approach up to now.
At the Barcelona European Council in March 2002, EU member states made commitments in the context of the international conference on financing for development held in Monterrey later that month. These commitments included the following: increasing financial resources for overseas development assistance, the untying of aid, and harmonisation and co-ordination. Ministers will have an opportunity at the Council to consider one of these commitments, that is, that there will be co-ordination and harmonisation. This will involve ministerial consideration of the following three elements: first, the report of the ad hoc working party on harmonisation. This working party, established in April 2004 during our EU Presidency, was invited to report back to the Council not later than November 2004. The report of the ad hoc working party sets out a number of recommendations for the improvement of co-ordination and harmonisation between member states and the Commission’s aid programmes.
The second element is the follow-up to the General Affairs and External Relations Council conclusions of 27 April 2004. These detailed conclusions were adopted by the Council on all eight commitments made by the EU member states in regard to Monterrey. Ministers will consider what further follow-up action might be necessary in the case of the second of these commitments, that is, on co-ordination and harmonisation, in light of the conclusions of April 2004.
The third element is the EU action plan for co-ordination and harmonisation. The international high level forum on donor aid harmonisation took place in 2003 at ministerial level and adopted the Rome Declaration. This declaration proposes an improvement in the management and effectiveness of aid by harmonising donor policies. A stocktaking on developments with regard to harmonisation is to take place at the second high level forum on harmonisation to be held in Paris in February-March 2005. At the Council, member states will discuss what should be the EU approach to this meeting.
That is the agenda for the meeting in regard to the development cluster. I attended in recent weeks the informal meeting of development Ministers in Maastricht where many of these items were trashed out in advance. I welcome questions members may have.
I have a few questions. For the benefit of members we will take the General Affairs and External Relations Council items together because they are similar. In regard to defence, the Minister said the Government is considering its approach to the battle group initiative. He may say that questions on it should be directed to the Minister for Defence, but will he outline the parameters that would guide any decision in this regard? Is consideration being given to Irish troops joining other troops of member states with a similar track record in peacekeeping, for example, in a battle group?
With regard to the Middle East peace process, which the Minister dealt with in his speech, following the death of the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Yasser Arafat, does he believe that the more positive signals from the US in regard to the creation of a Palestinian state will result in real movement in the Middle East peace process and that the Middle East quartet will operate more coherently towards the roadmap? He said that there are positive moves afoot, but I would welcome his expanded views on that issue.
The Minister also dealt with the crisis in Dafur in Sudan. What does he believe the EU can and should do to end the misery of the people in Dafur? I would like him to expand on that having regard to his comments.
Will the Minister elaborate on the level of engagement or otherwise Iran has with the International Atomic Energy Agency on its nuclear programme? How satisfactory is transparency in terms of the availability of information from Iran on its programme? If there is a degree of dissatisfaction with the availability of that information, what measures are being taken to fill in the gaps in such information?
Will the Minister outline the items that will be on the agenda of the EU-China summit? Will they include trade, human rights and civil and political rights within China, or will it involve the setting down of a foundation for the building of a stronger base and contact between the EU and China in the years ahead?
Operation Althea has taken over from the stabilisation force. What is the difference between Operation Althea and the stabilisation force? What does Operation Althea mean and what does it do?
The Minister said that Ireland will reaffirm its commitments at the civilian capabilities commitment conference, which will include the availability of up to 80 gardaí and ten rule of law experts. I take it these are not civilians, given that the gardaí are part of the security apparatus of the State. Will they be counted as civilians? What exactly is the Althea financing mechanism?
Has the Minister a comment on the fact that President Putin announced that he has developed a nuclear weapon that will surpass all other nuclear weapons and will deploy it in the near future?
I have three straightforward questions. First, will the Minister give a summary on the enlargement issue in terms of whether the timetable proposed for Bulgaria and Romania is on track? What is the current thinking on Croatia and Turkey?
Second, I am sure the Minister is aware that at a meeting earlier this month this committee passed a resolution on the Middle East. The end of the resolution states that the committee considered that the European Union has a moral obligation to use all diplomatic means at its disposal to bring an end to these violations and to promote a peaceful and negotiated settlement. That was in the context of the wall being built to separate the two communities. Although the Middle East is on the agenda, there does not seem to be anything specific on the issue of the wall. Ireland with the other EU member states has noted a world court decision on the wall. It should remain an agenda item. Bearing in mind the motion that was passed by this committee, I ask the Minister to raise this issue at European level. I must leave as there is a vote in the Dáil, following which I will return.
I welcome both Ministers and express my admiration and surprise at the range of goods and topics they have to handle. I wish to raise a matter referred to by Senator Lydon. It was mentioned during the week and The Times of London today reports that President Putin referred to the fact that Russia has developed a weapon that could make the proposed US missile defence system useless. President Putin said yesterday: “... as soon as we ignore such components of our defence as a nuclear and missile shield, other threats may occur.” I note the Minister will attend the civilian and military capabilities commitment conference which is to be take place on the margins of the Council. In discussing this topic, it is as though we are transported back to the 1970s and 1980s when nuclear defence was a highlighted topic. Have we taken into account that there is still the danger of other nations developing nuclear capabilities, which they will call defence capabilities, to which we have not paid attention in the past? Is it the right occasion to raise that issue and is it something Europe should consider?
I welcome the Minister and the Minister of State. One of the headings refers to reviewing European Union external policy effectiveness. One area in which the EU must show leadership is the Middle East peace process. Arising from the death of Yasser Arafat, the re-election of President Bush and the fact that he will now be in a position to concentrate on policy rather than re-election politics, there is an opportunity to make progress but the EU must be the driving force in terms of the Middle East peace policy. I acknowledge the Minister referred to it in his contribution but while the roadmap has been derailed, so to speak, it remains the only political settlement possible. The EU must now be decisive in showing leadership on this issue. Will the Minister indicate how he and his colleagues will attempt to drive forward that process because there appears to be a window of opportunity for political progress? The landscape in the Middle East has changed politically and the American administration is in a position to make progress. How will the Minister progress that in regard to the EU?
On the EU-China summit referred to by Deputy Kirk, this is a broad issue and sometimes we can be a little simplistic in discussing China. Given the size of the country, the western view of society does not imprint neatly on to the Chinese landscape but an issue which must remain to the fore when discussing matters with the Chinese authorities is human rights. I am not sure what level of dialogue the Government had yesterday with the deputy premier but on a number of occasions the question of human rights in China has been discussed by the human rights sub-committee of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. In particular, we have frequently dealt with the practitioners of Falun Gong and visits here by an important Chinese dignitary are always met with protests from Falun Gong members. Fine presentations have been made by these groups and their advocates to the sub-committee, and it appears they are suffering the gravest discrimination in China. Will the Minister assure me that he and his colleagues at EU level will keep pressure on the Chinese authorities to resolve this issue, which is one of basic human rights? The progress we are making on the broader political and economic fronts with the Chinese authorities over the past few years has been positive and progressive but we cannot get away from the fact that the value of human rights must be kept to the fore in our discussions with the Chinese leadership.
I want to put a question to the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, on the build-up of the European Development Fund reserves. Has discussion taken place on putting in place a mechanism to utilise those reserves?
I will try to deal with as many questions as possible. The Vice-Chairman referred to the issue of the battle groups or the rapid response elements. The Government discussed this matter yesterday and the Minister for Defence will indicate to the commitment conference that Ireland is ready to consult with other partners of like mind on the possibility of us participating in a multinational force. A number of countries have indicated that they will make available national forces and many of the other countries, apart from Malta and Denmark, have had discussions with other countries about the possibility of them setting up a multinational force, which will be ready. I emphasise, however, that the Minister for Defence and my Department will report to Government after those consultations and the consequences of any of those proposals on the issue of a detailed analysis of the implications for participation, potential costs and legislative aspects, and questions relating to potential partners in deployment, training and interoperability aspects will be discussed. I emphasise also that our participation in these battle groups will be on the time-honoured triple-lock basis.
Deputy Kirk raised the Iranian situation. Significant progress has been made recently with Iran and the three EU countries, which have led the moves on this area. A significant discussion was held at the last Council meeting and we are happy that the Iranians are moving in this respect. They have decided to continue to extend their suspension of all enrichment.
The International Atomic Energy Agency published a report on 15 November which noted that many aspects of the Iranian nuclear fuel cycle activities were not declared to the agency in accordance with their obligations. Some work remains to be done in that regard. The report indicated that good progress was being made on the correction of these breaches but the efforts at EU level have been fruitful in terms of turning around that situation.
I echo the sentiments expressed by the speakers who raised the deterioration of the situation in Darfur. I assure them that we have given a significant level of commitment in regard to both finances and personnel in that respect. We support the African Union's mission, the building up of that mission and the assistance being given by the EU. We would like to see it up and running quicker but there are outstanding logistical issues, not related to the EU, which we will address at the meeting on Monday.
Some members mentioned the comments by Mr. Putin. Obviously, Ireland is concerned about any development of a nuclear weapon and I expect that issue will be on the agenda or at least will be discussed if not at this meeting at subsequent meetings. It is well known that Ireland has been a very active member of the new agenda coalition to promote the non-proliferation treaty. We were active in that regard recently at the United Nations in New York. I assure the members we will work on next year's review conference, which I hope to attend.
Deputy Kirk asked about the issues that would be on the agenda of the EU-China summit. It will be a wide-ranging discussion. Human rights will be on the agenda. The agenda has not yet been set but I assure the Deputy that human rights will be on it because that issue was raised at the last meeting of the General Affairs Council. On the economic side, discussions will be held on customs, macro-economic issues and employment dialogues. A business summit will be held on 7 December.
In regard to Senator Bradford's query, I constantly raise with the Chinese authorities at official level, and I did so at the recent discussions we had on human rights issues, the position with regard to the Falun Gong, Burma and Tibet. I welcome the fact that a recent Chinese constitutional amendment referred to human rights. As a result of EU-Chinese dialogue which was promoted during Ireland's Presidency, three people who were on an EU list were released and are now free. I assure the Senator that we will continue to work on specific cases which have been raised.
The timetable for enlargement is basically on track for Bulgaria and Romania and we expect positive decisions and signatures in 2005 and accession in 2007. The June Council granted Croatia candidate status to begin accession negotiations in early 2005 and we look forward to a decision by the Council in the coming months on the framework and a precise date for the opening of discussion some time early next year. The December Council is due to take a decision on the opening of negotiations with Turkey and there will be much work in this respect between now and the December Council.
Operation Althea came about as a result of the EU's willingness to follow up on the SFOR operation. Operation Althea is expected to be deployed on 2 December. Its aim is to consolidate peace and stability in Bosnia. It will comprise approximately 7,000 troops, similar to the existing operation. It will be conducted under the Berlin Plus arrangement, namely, with recourse to certain NATO assets and capabilities. As I stated earlier, Ireland will contribute 52 members to that operation.
There will be substantive discussion on the Middle East at the Council, during which the issue of the Israeli barrier will continue to be raised. We very much concur with the views expressed by the international court. Due to the unfortunate death of Yasser Arafat and with the US election over, we expect there will be a substantial effort to re-engage all the partners in the quartet. The discussions between Mr. Tony Blair and Mr. George Bush this week were significant in that they referred to the need for the US Government to become re-engaged in the process to resurrect the road map. However, work remains to be done by the Israelis and the Palestinians on their conditions to comply with the road map criteria. We have stated that we want a strong Palestinian Authority and much of the focus will be on ensuring that we can help the transition from Yasser Arafat's leadership to the new order.
I agree that the impression of the meeting between Mr. Blair and President Bush appeared to be significant as they placed the issue of the Middle East at the top of the agenda. However, the departure of Mr. Colin Powell and the appointment of Ms Condoleezza Rice seems to send out a more conservative signal, without getting too personal about the matter. The Minister will agree, as he has done before the committee, that the road map was basically frozen for the past two years. At a certain stage, the issue of time must enter the equation. We will know within a year or two whether the US will seriously engage in the Middle East peace process. If it does not, there must come a time when the EU will take a more active leadership role on the issue.
The committee had a very good debate on the motion on the Middle East and some members were in favour of pointing out to Israel that although it is part of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, it has an illegal barrier in place and that perhaps the EU should ask Israel to leave the partnership. However, most of us disagreed with that suggestion because we support the Government's policy that engagement rather than alienation is the way forward. However, there is frustration about this issue.
Given that this committee, as a representative cross-section of the Dáil, has passed this motion, I hope the Minister agrees to raise the issue of the barrier with the Israeli authorities and point out that it cannot go on forever. The human rights of ordinary Palestinians are being seriously violated and there must come a time when the EU will consider some form of action in compliance with the decision of the International Court.
Are members of the Garda counted as civilians in the context of the civilian capabilities conference? Does the Minister have further information on the Althea financing mechanism? If he does not, perhaps he will supply it on another occasion.
Members of the Garda are counted as civilians. They are regarded as so in Ireland. The Army is normally regarded as an aid to the civil power.
Before answering the Vice-Chairman's questions, I wish to respond to a number of issues relating to Deputy Mulcahy's questions about the Israeli wall and the situation in Palestine. As the committee knows, my section of the Department has responsibility for human rights and these issues have become the subject of live discussion. There has been discussion about whether we should write to Cement Roadstone Holdings about the fact that it has a 25% stake in the Israeli company which is building the wall. Perhaps the committee will choose to write to the company to remind it of the decision of the international court about the wall. It might be helpful, although it is not for me to decide what the committee does.
I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Nabil Sha'ath prior to Yasser Arafat's death. He met the senior Minister first and then the Taoiseach. We confirmed a €10 million aid programme for Palestine over three years, which is part and parcel of the process of support for the Palestinians at this juncture. Yesterday, we signed off on a further tranche of funding for the Palestinians in regard to the monitoring of human rights within the West Bank and Gaza. We are promoting and providing support at every level for the Palestinians.
The Vice-Chairman's question was very much on the button and in tune with what we believe. We have huge reservations about the build-up of reserves in the European Development Fund. However, notwithstanding that criticism of the fund, we have a preference for the European Development Fund over and above what the Commission is now proposing in terms of what is politely called "budgetisation", a process by which it is proposed to fully integrate the EDF budget into the general budget of the European Commission. Ireland does not favour that proposal as it would mean the least developed countries could lose out. Approximately 90% of the funding from the EDF goes to the least developed countries and if budgetisation occurs, there will be a danger of middle income countries gaining at the expense of the least well off, as happened in European funding for the developing world in the past 20 years.
We have taken up the lack of effectiveness of the European Development Fund, particularly the slow delivery on commitments. We have expressed concern about the failure to draw down the reserve funds but the EU has introduced a sunset clause which kicks in if contracts are not honoured or acted upon within three years. That is similar to the change the Government made here with lottery funds.
We have been to the forefront of reforming the fund. There was too much concentration by the Commission of effort in Brussels but, under a process described as "deconcentration", more offices are being opened in the field, with authority being devolved. There was a difficulty with the drawing down of funds for developing countries where bureaucracy was coming to the fore because everything had to be referred back to Brussels for decisions on spending to be made. That has now changed and field officers will have more autonomy in decision making and will be able to ensure that money allocated is spent in the manner intended.
I agree with Senator Quinn on the agenda for the Council meetings. Any one of those issues could dominate the whole meeting but the situation in Darfur is tragic and I appeal to the Minister to continue to highlight it. These issues can sometimes be removed from the agenda before problems are solved.
After his re-election, President Bush indicated that progress could be made in the Middle East during his second term in office. Europe must take the initiative and ensure no stone is left unturned to deal with the tragedy in Israel and Palestine.
Military crisis management operations, such as that carried out in Bosnia Herzegovina, are financed under the Athena mechanism, established in 2004. In general, the member states that deploy personnel to these missions pay the bulk of the costs associated with their deployment. It is being reviewed to learn from the lessons from the financing of the first missions to Macedonia and the Congo.
I have made it clear at EU level that the Israeli security fence is illegal in its present siting. Reference to the fact that the fence is illegal, that it encroaches on occupied Palestinian territory and that the only borders that should be recognised are those of 1967 subject to amendments made by agreement forms part of Mr. Javier Solana's short-term plan. We accept the legitimate right of any nation to protect its citizens in whatever way it sees fit, as Israel maintains it is doing, but we maintain that the siting of the wall is incorrect.
Engaging the US will be the focus of the EU in the quartet and the visit by Mr. Tony Blair to Washington was part of that.
I assure Deputy Wallace that no meeting passes without Ireland raising the issues of Sudan and the Middle East and neither will be taken off the agenda. We would like the position to be otherwise but they will continue to appear on the agenda because of the problems that exist.
We have made significant allocations to Darfur in development aid and assistance on the emergency side. I recently met the Egyptian Minister for European Affairs in Dublin and he briefed me comprehensively on the issue. I will travel to Darfur in the new year to see if we can do more in terms of development and humanitarian aid.
I thank the Minister, the Minister of State and their officials for attending.