Sierra Leone: Statements.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen)

The Government is deeply concerned at the tragic developments in Sierra Leone and the deterioration in the situation there since the Seanad last considered the matter one year ago. Although the security situation is slightly improved, it remains nevertheless highly volatile. We continue to be deeply concerned about the crisis and are strongly supportive of the efforts of the UN peacekeeping forces to restore long-term peace and stability to the country. With our EU partners we have appealed to the international community to join in supporting a strategy in Sierra Leone which further stabilises the security situation and helps rebuild the country.

The Government is particularly concerned about the humanitarian situation. As part of our ongoing bilateral support Ireland will continue to commit significant funds to the international humanitarian effort for the suffering people there. It is claimed that the civil war over the past decade has been responsible for the loss of over 50,000 lives, the internal displacement of between 1 million and 2 million people and the forcing of more than 500,000 people into exile. The war has also left tens of thousands maimed, largely at the hands of the rebel forces. In addition much of the social infrastructure of the country such as schools, hospitals, clinics and water supplies has been destroyed.

Following the signature of the peace agreement in Lomé in July last year we called on all parties to adhere strictly to its terms in order to achieve a lasting peaceful resolution of a conflict that has imposed immense suffering on the people of Sierra Leone. In this respect we have emphasised that the accountability of individual perpetrators of grave human rights violations is important in ensuring a fair and equitable justice system and, ultimately, reconciliation and stability in the country.

The peace process suffered a very serious setback in May as a result of the unprovoked armed attacks on UN peacekeepers, the detention of several hundred UN personnel and the destruction of several hundred disarmament and demobilisation camps by fighters of the Revolutionary United Front, RUF. Regrettably, those developments overshadowed the limited progress achieved in the implementation of the peace agreement.

Prior to these events some progress was being made in implementing the accord. A meeting of the National Commission on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration in March was attended by the leaders of the main factions and the monitoring group from the Economic Community of West African States. At that meeting all faction leaders agreed to grant unhindered access to all parts of the country to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, the humanitarian community and the entire population, to relinquish the territory they occupied and to allow the Government to have full control over every part of the country. As a result of these efforts the number of checkpoints maintained by the factions had been reduced and the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone was able to deploy in new areas. All progress however has been, temporarily at least, brought to a standstill by RUF actions in May.

EU Foreign Ministers discussed the situation at the most recent General Affairs Council meeting ten days ago and reiterated deep concern about the continuing crisis. We have appealed to the international community to join the European Union in supporting a strategy which further stabilises the security situation, repels the rebels, restores the peace process and helps to rebuild Sierra Leone. In this context we welcomed the decision of the Government of Sierra Leone to put Foday Sankoh on trial. The European Union is willing to consider any requests from the Government of Sierra Leone for assistance on this issue.

While President Taylor of Liberia played a helpful role in the release of UN detainees held by the RUF in Sierra Leone, we are very concerned that he failed to act to prevent arms and other supplies from reaching the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone from the territory of Liberia, that close links remain between those rebels and supporters in Liberia and that the illicit diamond trade continues through Liberia. We have called on Liberia to behave in a responsible and consistent way by contributing to a solution to the crisis in Sierra Leone. EU policy, including under the EU-ACP Lomé Convention, will take full account of Liberia's behaviour in regard to Sierra Leone.

The Government is extremely concerned about violations of UN arms embargoes in conflicts in Africa, including Sierra Leone. Continuing supplies of arms from outside are fuelling such conflicts. In this respect the European Union has expressed its grave concern over the allegations of arms shipments that have helped the RUF to sustain military operations after the peace accord was concluded and called on all parties to refrain from any action that contributes to prolonging the conflict.

There has been some criticism of the role played by UN peacekeepers in Sierra Leone and the Security Council is re-examining the mandate of the mission. Recognising that a strong, effective and robust UN force is essential if lasting peace is to be achieved, the European Union has appealed to the international community to offer increased support for the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone. The number of peacekeepers deployed in the country is now 12,394 after the arrival this week of additional soldiers from Bangladesh. Current information is that there has been no change in the condition of the 21 UN detainees still held by the RUF at Pendembu, nor in the stand-off in Kailahun where 233 personnel remain surrounded by RUF forces. The UN mis sion is continuing to deliver rations to the soldiers at both locations. The European Union has agreed to consider urgently what practical support we might give in order to help the United Nations fulfil its mandate and strengthen its presence in Sierra Leone in coming weeks.

A meeting between the United Nations Security Council and the political committee of the Economic Community of West African States in New York this week condemned the continued restrictions on the movement of UN personnel by Sierra Leone rebels. The group had just completed a visit to Sierra Leone where it met President Kabbah. Council members condemned the continued detention by the RUF of UN peacekeepers of the Indian contingent of the UN mission and the denial of freedom of movement to a large number of other UN staff in the east of the country. They demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all UN personnel detained or surrounded and recalled the mandate given by the heads of state and government of the Economic Community of West African States to the President of Liberia, to obtain the release of the remaining hostages, and called on all leaders in the region to ensure this was brought about speedily. The delegation from the Economic Community of West African States and the Security Council members agreed that those identified as responsible for flouting the terms of the peace agreement should be brought to justice.

We have all been appalled by the horrendous violations of human rights in Sierra Leone. It is simply unacceptable that murder, mutilation, torture, abductions, rape and the use of child soldiers should take place anywhere in the world in the 21st century.

At the recent 56th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, with our partners we called on all parties to implement the peace agreement speedily and step up efforts to implement the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme. A resolution adopted by consensus at the meeting expressed grave concern at the continuing abuses of human rights and humanitarian law committed in Sierra Leone, generally with impunity, and the ongoing atrocities committed by the rebels. The Government of Sierra Leone, in co-operation with the international community, is asked to give priority attention to the special needs of women and children, especially those who have been mutilated, sexually abused, gravely traumatised and displaced in Sierra Leone.

All but six of the Irish citizens known to have been in Sierra Leone have left or been evacuated from the country. Those remaining are the Honorary Consul-General and three other Irish citizens in Freetown and two clergymen in Kenema, some distance from the capital, all of whom are safe.

As I indicated earlier, the Government remains very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Sierra Leone. With the peace agreement last year, it was hoped that the improving security sit uation would at last result in access by humanitarian agencies to the majority of war-affected civilians and a move from relief to recovery. The current deterioration in the security situation has seen a concomitant deterioration in the humanitarian situation. Humanitarian agencies have once again been forced to abandon or delay the implementation of their projects. Unhindered access to many parts of the country remains impossible. While there are huge food stocks there which should cover predicted food shortages, disbursing them remains problematic. Despite the obvious humanitarian needs facing the people of Sierra Leone, it remains difficult to address those needs until a political settlement is reached.

Due to the continued instability, for the time being the focus of the international community's humanitarian assistance remains on providing for the immediate needs of the vulnerable and displaced, as well as providing support for Sierra Leonean refugees in camps in neighbouring countries. Since 1998, Ireland has allocated over £1 million pounds from the emergency aid and rehabilitation budgets alone for humanitarian projects in Sierra Leone. This funding has been allocated to the Irish humanitarian organisations, Concern and GOAL, and to the United Nations agencies which are trying to address the current needs. Already this year, £369,000 has been allocated to the International Committee of the Red Cross and GOAL.

In addition, the European Union is providing support to Sierra Leone both by way of emergency assistance through the European Community Humanitarian Office and longer-term support programmes through the European Development Fund. The European Community Humanitarian Office has provided almost 19 million in emergency humanitarian assistance over the past twelve months. A further package of 12 million is currently being implemented. In December 1999, the European Development Fund management committee approved funding for an 8.9 million structural adjustment support programme aimed at assisting the Government of Sierra Leone in its post-conflict recovery reforms.

Ireland will continue to commit significant funds to the international humanitarian effort for the suffering civilian population. When the situation improves and a secure and stable environment is established, Ireland Aid will start to look at providing increased funding for rehabilitation projects. I assure the House that Sierra Leone will remain a priority for Ireland's humanitarian assistance programme.

The conflict in Sierra Leone is, unfortunately, one among a number of conflicts in Africa. At the European Council in Feira on Monday, we heard the President of South Africa, Mr. Mbeki, speaking about the problems in southern Africa. The Minster of State at my Department, Deputy O'Donnell, visited Ethiopia in May and a delegation from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by my predecessor, Deputy Andrews, has also just visited that country. It saw at first hand the devastating effects of conflict in that region.

Recently, in Libya, I had discussions with my Libyan counterpart on the enormous challenges we face in Africa and the role that Europeans can play in addressing these issues. We will be pressing for active follow-up to the Africa-Europe summit which took place in Cairo earlier this year. We will also be supporting at the United Nations follow-up to the report of the Secretary General, Causes of Conflict and Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa. We are committed to tackling the root causes of the terrible conflicts which we are witnessing, including those that emanate from outside the African continent.

Mr. Manning

I thank the Minister for taking this debate at such short notice. When I requested this debate it was not my intention to be critical of the Government. On the contrary, our track record has been very positive and I pay tribute to the work of the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Andrews, in this area. I know he intended to visit Sierra Leone some time this year had he stayed on as Minister. Perhaps the Minister may find himself in a position to do so and see at first hand what is happening there.

My request for this debate was prompted by the Irish Sierra Leone solidarity group. I recently attended a meeting of the group where I heard of the experiences of Irish people very recently returned from Sierra Leone. In some cases they had spent most of their lifetime working in that country and they had a huge commitment to it. The stories we were told that evening were harrowing. There was a sense of close to despair among some people and also of the sheer wastefulness and horror at what is happening.

To date, out of a population of just over 4.5 million, 50,000 people have been killed, 100,000 have been mutilated and over two million, that is half the population, have been displaced. If the current peace movement fails there will be a further round of killings and mutilations and a massive humanitarian crisis.

This crisis could have been, and still can be, prevented. The root cause of much of the present problem lies with Liberia. The Minister was diplomatic in his language about Liberia. I do not feel that need. President Taylor is a ruffian. He is responsible for much of what is happening in Sierra Leone today through the financing of the rebels, the protection and promotion of the illegal diamond trade, which provides the finance, and through his inability or unwillingness to help the UN to resolve this problem. I do not know if international pressure can mean anything, but the severing of international aid to Liberia for as long as President Taylor continues his present policy is being considered by the EU. I hope it will be supported by the Government.

In overall terms this is a problem for the UN. There is an international consensus about what needs to be done in Sierra Leone. Everybody is agreed on what ought to be done and who ought to be backed. Despite the figures I have cited, the scale of the problem is not huge by international standards, indeed it is manageable. Unfortunately, the UN got off to a very bad start, with very poorly equipped troops going in, some hardly trained at all, the best of them only moderately so. They were also very badly led. Unless the UN can get its act together in Sierra Leone – that is easier said than done – then we will not see an improvement. Worse, the UN, which has invested so much of its credibility in Sierra Leone, will lose it. That may have a very bad effect on the possibility of further UN intervention in southern Africa. The Minister has indicated how this will be needed.

We have long been supporters of the UN and I urge the Minister – I know he is doing it – to see if it can devote even further resources, especially better trained troops, to Sierra Leone. A small number of British troops had more impact on restoring peace there than all of the UN groups acting together. Now we are faced with the withdrawal of the British and the possible withdrawal of many of the Nigerian troops from Sierra Leone. The prospect of those left seeking to restore order does not fill anybody with confidence. Some are still being held hostage by the rebels.

When I spoke on this subject previously, I mentioned the strong ties which bind certain groups in this country with Sierra Leone. I pay tribute to the people in the Department of Foreign Affairs who have been handling this issue. They have always treated solidarity groups with the greatest courtesy, help and commitment.

We could probably do more in terms of the provision of bilateral aid, especially to rebuild Sierra Leone. Sadly that work cannot start until there is peace, but I would like to see Sierra Leone being upgraded on the Department's list of countries with whom we have a special bilateral relationship and perhaps that could be looked at. Until the situation becomes peaceful again there will be little chance of rebuilding Sierra Leone.

There is one further point worth making and it has to do with the question of refugees. If peace and stability is not restored in Sierra Leone, the refugee problem will be horrendous and we will be faced with our share of the refugees. For the most part, the Sierra Leonean refugees who have come here have integrated well. They are courteous, nice people. They want to stay in their own country but if Sierra Leone is not made stable, the instability will flow into other countries, and not just Africa but Europe will find itself facing one of the greatest refugee problems in human history. Therefore, it is very much in the interests of the countries of the western world to do everything possible to help restore stability and peace in Sierra Leone and to play a constructive part in the rebuilding of that country. It is a small coun try and the job should be manageable. The resources needed are not huge, but first we must do what we can. Among the things we can do is put further pressure on those who control the illegal diamond trade, which is funding so much of the civil war in Sierra Leone, a war which has resulted in the most appalling mutilation, murder, torture and rape of any conflict in recent times.

I thank the Minister, Deputy Cowen, for his contribution. He covered the ground fully. His analysis of the situation is one with which all of us could agree. I hope conditions will improve in Sierra Leone in order that it can begin to rebuild itself and I would like to see Ireland playing an even more positive part in helping it.

Mr. Finneran

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Cowen, to the House. This is my first opportunity to compliment him publicly on his recent successes as Minister for Foreign Affairs, in particular, on his major success on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive. That is a major achievement of the Government.

The people of my rural constituency, Longford-Roscommon, are extremely pleased with the Minister's completion of the deal on live exports to Libya. It is a welcome development which has been sought for many years. This is a welcome development for the farming community in my constituency and the people involved in the beef trade down through the years who have been the victims of the cartel of the factories, in the absence of a live trade which would have brought competition into the market.

As expected, the Minister has started off well in this portfolio. He was successful in other Departments to date. His experience in those Departments and his ability to negotiate, both in the Labour portfolio and in other portfolios since, will stand him in good stead.

I thank Senator Manning for raising the issue of Sierra Leone. It is the second occasion in recent times that we have had an opportunity to discuss the disturbing situation in that distant land. It is harrowing for any person to watch the pictures on our television screens any night of the week, particularly those showing evidence of the mutilation of children and the human rights abuses perpetrated on the civilian community. It is harrowing for any person to witness those, even by looking at them on a television screen.

Anything which can be done should be done to alleviate the enormous trauma inflicted, particularly on the civilian population of Sierra Leone. Like Senator Manning, I compliment and express my appreciation to Irish religious and lay people for their contribution over the years in support of the civilian population and human rights generally, and for their attempt to improve the lives of the inhabitants of that land.

Sierra Leone is a small country with a population of 4.5 million. It should be a peaceful place and people should be able to live in a calm environment, but unfortunately that is not case. The results of the civil war are catastrophic. As the Minister stated, 50,000 people have been killed and possibly between one million and two million people have been displaced, while many have been maimed and injured, which is terrible.

All this is going on in a situation where international arms dealers are providing enormous shipments of weapons to the rebels. Often I wonder about this in terms of all the conflicts mentioned by the Minister on the continent of Africa and in other areas. If there were no arms dealers to profit from the trade in arms, I wonder would there be such a large number of conflicts. The nations of the western world and eastern Europe which have supplied arms to both sides in many cases, and in this case to the rebels of Sierra Leone, are the real perpetrators because they are supplying weapons of death. It is not a war in the normal sense where two armies fight or an army fights insurgents. In this case the population is being dehumanised. There are unbelievable atrocities being perpetrated on women, children and even babies. I saw a picture on the television the other night of a baby at its mother's breast whose hands had been chopped off. It is hard to believe that this type of atrocity can be perpetrated by one human being against another.

While Ireland is a small nation in the European Union and on the world stage, its views are respected on account of its neutrality. No doubt the Minister will take on board what was said here today. We take comfort in what he said and in the Government's attempts to help the people of Sierra Leone in the situation in which they find themselves.

I know that Ireland contributed in the region of £350,000 in 1999 to humanitarian organisations and United Nation agencies which are trying to address the current problem, but I agree with Senator Manning that for some reason the UN seems to be running up culs de sac as far as Sierra Leone is concerned. It does not seem to have focused properly on how it should handle the situation. It seems to some extent as if it has adopted an ad hoc approach. I am not an expert in this area, but looking at it from a layman's point of view and trying to analyse what is happening, it seems extraordinary that the UN should find itself in some of the situations in which it has found itself there. The UN must refocus its efforts in Sierra Leone. If it is found lacking or does not address the problem, it does not augur well for conflicts which will arise or which are already taking place in other areas of the African continent and other places mentioned by the Minister.

I welcome the fact that the leader of the Opposition has raised this subject for discussion. It is important that we speak on the matter and add our humble voice in support of the downtrodden people of Sierra Leone. I know the Minister will take a special interest in this and that he takes seriously the issue of Africa. If there is anyone with the enthusiasm to take it a step further, it is the Minister. It is a question of how we can progress bilateral relations with Sierra Leone, how we can afford an opportunity for placement of refugees or displaced persons from that country and how we can integrate further with the UN in its involvement with people there. As Senator Manning said, it depends on the ability of the UN to impose some type of reasonable peace there. For the agencies which I have no doubt the Minister and the people will support, both financially and with personnel, to operate there, there must be a better climate than exists at present.

I thank the Minister for being present and, as the spokesperson for my party, we are pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this issue which has been raised by the leader of the Opposition, Senator Manning.

Mr. Norris

I thank the Minister for attending and for giving such a clear statement of the Government's position with regard to Sierra Leone. I compliment Senator Manning on having the foresight to raise this issue because it is an exceedingly important one. As Senator Finneran said, Sierra Leone is an area of which it is all too easy to lose sight. The Minister will know better than any of us that, in a busy schedule, these matters are always a question of prioritisation. We are vaguely aware of some kind of ongoing horror, but until it is registered clearly and vigorously in our minds, we tend to put it on the back burner. The classic example of this, as the House knows only too well, is East Timor. However, as far as I am concerned, this matter has been prioritised by a number of issues.

Some time ago I received a handwritten letter four pages long from a woman in Sierra Leone who was writing on behalf of her sister and her sister's two children. She enclosed photographs. She had to write on behalf of her sister because, although her sister was an educated woman, both her hands had been amputated. There was no reason; it was just a type of bloodlust. The children had also lost limbs. I put it to one side – she was looking for direct cash to help the family – because I wanted to obtain the appropriate money draft from the bank to send over. I am ashamed to say that I have lost it. I know it is somewhere in the house and I intend to have a look for it this weekend.

I will do that partly because of this issue being raised here but also because, coincidentally, on Wednesday last I received a delegation from Sierra Leone in the interview room. The delegation consisted of three people who came at the instigation of Christian Aid. They were led by Ms Haja Mariatu Mahdi, who is a founding member of the Interreligous Council of Sierra Leone. She is a Muslim, a woman of great dignity and courage and President of the Federation of the Muslim Women's Association in Sierra Leone. The other delegates were the Reverend Llewellyn Rogers-Wright, who is an Anglican pastor and who has a number of significant positions in Sierra Leone, and the Reverend Tom Barnett, who is head of the evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone. They were mandated by their groups and by the Interreligious Council in Sierra Leone to approach the Government and I understand they had satisfactory meetings in Iveagh House where they made these representations. They have been mandated to represent the Interreligious Council in dealings not just with the Government but also with non-governmental organisations, church leaders and church organisations.

What struck me was how extraordinarily civilised these people were and the degree to which there was real intercultural co-operation. There is a tragic situation in Africa whereby Muslims and Christians engage in bitter and murderous conflict. These people I met had a high level of sophistication and education and were able to tell the tragic story of a country rich in natural and human resources which has been fragmented by ongoing conflict. They were able to tell me that, 11 months after the peace agreement in July 1999, one third of the population was still displaced, either as refugees in neighbouring countries or as internally displaced persons.

The northern part of the country and much of the eastern part still remains under rebel control. Civilians and UN peacekeepers have been attacked and kidnapped in these regions and the Minister made this clear. It is horrifying to think of United Nations personnel being herded together in camps and only being permitted food parcels and visits from UN officials. It is intolerable that an international organisation of this standing should be treated in such a manner. Revolution United Front commanders in the diamond mining areas have repeatedly turned back UN peacekeepers who have attempted to deploy there and people from these districts are becoming increasingly frustrated. Perhaps what is needed is a stronger mandate from the UN to the peacekeeping forces and a strengthening of the personnel there.

I understand that the key issues for the people of Sierra Leone are the disarmament, mobilisation and reintegration of 45,000 combatants. That is not an easy logistical task. Many of these are children. It is essential to a lasting peace but there are many problems. There are barriers to reintegration. How can these people be brought back into their society? Some of them are children as young as seven. They have been sexually abused, fed alcohol and drugs and forced to commit atrocities against their own neighbours. It is a lot to ask communities to take back these people, even though they are obviously victims themselves. If a seven year old came into one of our houses and hacked to death or shot some of our people, albeit under the influence of alcohol or drugs or whatever, it would be very difficult to accept them as neighbours. That is a real challenge and it would be such in any society. A broken society such as Sierra Leone needs everything it can obtain.

Both sides are using children to fight in the war. Thousands of children have been deliber ately and arbitrarily killed or have had their limbs cut off while others have been forced into the internal conflict. I wish to record two quotes from people to whom this happened. They are the testimony of victims:

The combatants who abducted me [said a teenage girl who was raped] told me: ‘You don't understand. This is the reason we go and capture you people. If you don't sleep with me today, I'll kill you'.

That is an awful prospect for a teenage girl. A young boy said:

When I was killing, I felt like it wasn't me doing these things. I had to because the rebels threatened to kill me.

That was a 12 year old boy who had been kidnapped, threatened by the rebel forces and doubtless would have been killed if he had not done what he did. He was fed drugs and was out of his skull and did not know what he was doing. As he said himself, it was like watching someone else doing these appalling things.

There is also the problem of funding. I am glad Ireland has committed funding and I hope it will be increased as a result of this debate. It is essential that the international community continues to commit this level of funding, if not a higher level, to assist these initiatives. Immediate humanitarian assistance is also urgently required to meet the needs of thousands of internally displaced persons of whom it is estimated there are 1 million. It is estimated that there are 5,000 amputees in Freetown alone, and 2,500 lost or abandoned children. We need support in the initiatives regarding the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme and immediate humanitarian assistance for the victims of violence.

I found it ironical and troubling that while we were celebrating Bloomsday in Dublin on 16 June, Amnesty International was issuing a statement on the situation in Sierra Leone. This showed that very different experiences were occurring simultaneously with our joyful and peaceful celebrations here, although Leopold Bloom would have understood this well because when he was attacked in Barney Kiernan's pub on the afternoon of 16 June 1904, according to Joyce's imagination, he was asked if he was talking about the Jews in a very dismissive way. He said, no, that he was talking about injustice and what was happening today in that people were being sold into slavery and brutality. If this was true then and if Bloom had the imagination to see it, it was true ironically once again on the anniversary of Bloomsday.

Amnesty International indicated that attacks on civilians were increasing as hostilities were intensifying on 16 June. It called upon efforts to be made to protect civilians who were very often the victims in this. Eye witness accounts described civilians fleeing from violence, being threatened with and subjected to physical violence as they attempted to pass RUF checkpoints on the road south towards the junction known as Mile 91, 145 kilometres from Freetown.

Amnesty International reiterated that continuing abuses of human rights, including killings, rapes and abductions, are not covered by the amnesty provided in the peace agreement signed by the Government and the RUF in Lomé in July 1999. The human rights organisation has always maintained that the viability of the peace agreement was undermined from the outset – a point this House must accept – by providing a blanket amnesty for human rights abuses, including war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the eight year internal armed conflict. This is astonishing. War crimes and crimes against humanity normally do not have a time limit. It is horrifying that a year into this agreement we sowed the seeds of further problems by writing them off.

There should be the establishment of an international commission of inquiry to investigate the human rights abuses which occurred during this period. According to Amnesty International, peace in Sierra Leone is predicated on ending impunity for the human rights abuses committed before and after the signing of the Lomé peace agreement. In its reviews of UNAMSIL's mandate the Security Council should provide a clearer mandate for the protection of human rights of civilians at all times.

I found the Minister's speech to be comprehensive and helpful. I will refer to two points. The first is that the question of the illicit diamond trade must be addressed. We were treated to the notion of an ethical foreign policy when Mr. Robin Cook came into power but we have not seen much evidence of it. An interesting start could be made here because diamonds are being exploited on the international diamond market in this way to fuel economically the kind of war known in the trade as blood diamonds. There should be an internationally enforceable ban on trading in the shares of companies involved in this hideous trade. One example is the attempted stock market registration of such a company on the London stock exchange and we should act to indicate our strong disapproval. I hope the British Government will at last live up to its ethical commitments and prevent this trade not just in Sierra Leone. The wonderful humanitarian President, Robert Mugabe, whom I was criticised in this House for describing as a dictator, has proved me right because he is also involved in this trade in my native land in the Congo. It should be stopped there also.

The Minister referred to continuing supplies of arms from outside. That is a very useful and interesting statement but I would like further information. What countries are the sources of these arms? Would it be embarrassing for us to acknowledge that, perhaps, some of them are our colleagues in the European Union? The sooner we tear the mask away from these countries and say these so-called respectable civilised European countries, the fount of so much of our literature, music and architecture, are still continuing this bloody trade, the better. They should be embarrassed and shamed in public because the ordinary citizens in many of these countries do not realise the foundations of their prosperity are frequently soaked in blood.

The Seanad adjourned at 1.45 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 27 June 2000.

Seanad Éireann debate - Friday, 23 Jun 2000