I very much welcome the opportunity of reporting to the Seanad on the current situation following the terrorist atrocities committed in the United States on 11 September. We are now over one month removed from the terrible events of 11 September in the United States. The attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania left more than 5,000 people dead and missing.
The human impact of these attacks is not just felt in America. I note that it is now estimated that nationals of 80 countries were among the victims of the World Trade Centre attack. People of all nationalities and beliefs were cruelly murdered as they conducted their daily business. These included a now estimated eight Irish citizens.
Since the attacks of 11 September, the world has reacted in an unprecedented way. A global coalition has come together to co-operate in the fight against international terrorism. Action has taken place in the diplomatic, financial, judicial and police spheres and, in the past week or so, in the military sphere as well. As we are now aware, military action against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan by the United States and its allies is into its second week. The firm position of the Government is that military action should be undertaken only as a means of last resort, after all other means have failed. Unfortunately, that is now the situation, but we must be clear where the primary responsibility for this outcome rests. It rests with the Taliban regime and its attitude of disdain to the wishes of the international community.
Before and after the attacks of 11 September the Taliban regime was given every opportunity to respond to the demands of the Security Council. Regrettably, the Taliban regime has over the past two years defied, and continues to defy, the demands of the Security Council to hand over Osama bin Laden, who had been indicted for earlier terrorist attacks on American targets and was on record as urging further attacks on the US, and to dismantle the terrorist camps in the area under its control. The Taliban maintained this position in the face of sanctions imposed by the Security Council.
Even the terrible events of 11 September in the US, with their horrendous casualties, could not convince the Taliban to surrender Osama bin Laden and his associates. This situation was exacerbated by bin Laden's ongoing incitement in television interviews of further attacks on the US and others. Given the history of this man and his organisation, we must take seriously those threats.
At present we are seeing the apparently deliberate distribution of the anthrax disease in the US. There are reports of suspected cases in many other countries and I note from the statement of Tom Ridge, the new Director of Homeland Security in the US, that the authorities there are acting on the presumption that there may be a connection to Osama bin Laden and his network.
The US and its allies, in carrying out targeted attacks on the military assets of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and the Taliban regime, are acting within the inherent right to individual and collective self-defence as recognised under Article 51 of the UN Charter. They are also acting in pursuit of Security Council Resolution 1368, which calls on all states to work together urgently to bring to justice the perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of the terrorist attacks of 11 September and stresses that those responsible for aiding, supporting or harbouring the perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of those acts will be held accountable.
It is in this context that the Government has accorded its support for the military action now under way, as long as such action is targeted and proportionate and that every effort is made to avoid civilian casualties. Unfortunately, despite the best intentions of those carrying out the military response and despite the claims for the accuracy of modern weapons, inevitably, civilian casualties have regrettably been inflicted. There was an admission yesterday by the US military authorities of the bombing, by mistake, of a Red Cross storage depot. They have apologised for the error and such incidents must be sincerely regretted. No effort must be spared in seeking to prevent the occurrence of civilian casualties. As has been said by everybody, the ordinary people of Afghanistan are not responsible for the atroci ties of 11 September. They have also been the victims of prolonged violence and the extremism of the Taliban regime over a number of years.
Ireland has been to the forefront in keeping Afghanistan on the agenda of the international community. Since the start of the year we have been very outspoken at the Security Council on the need to focus on the humanitarian concerns of the Afghan people. We have supported and will continue to support the idea of the Security Council taking a comprehensive approach to Afghanistan, which includes addressing the political, economic, humanitarian and human rights situations. The Security Council held consultations on Afghanistan on 9 and 16 October.
In this regard, the appointment by the Secretary General of a special representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, is especially welcome. He has a long and distinguished career in the service of the UN and has overall responsibility for the humanitarian and political efforts in Afghanistan. He will manage peacekeeping initiatives with a view to facilitating the establishment of a fully representative, multi-ethnic and broad based Government in Afghanistan and will initiate preparations for the development of plans for the rehabilitation of the country. At Ireland's request, Ambassador Brahimi briefed the Security Council yesterday on his contacts to date.
There have been reported offers through the media that the Taliban regime might hand over Osama bin Laden to a third country. We would be very pleased if the regime was to now, belatedly, comply with the terms of UN Resolution 1333 of 2000. It requires the Taliban to turn over Osama bin Laden to appropriate authorities in a country where he has been indicted or to an appropriate authority in a country where he will be returned to such a country, or to appropriate authorities in a country where he will be arrested and effectively brought to justice. However, it is difficult to conclude from the reported comments of Taliban officials that such offers can be taken seriously.
There have been concerns, as reported by the media in recent days, about the likelihood of an imminent attack on states other that Afghanistan. We are aware of no evidence which demonstrates that other states were knowingly involved in harbouring those who planned or executed the 11 September atrocities. There has, moreover, been no mention in our contacts with the US or its military allies of other possible targets for military action being under active consideration.
The multi-faceted campaign against international terrorism is being pursued across a wide front. Ireland is particularly involved through the United Nations and the European Union. We are also active at a national level. Ireland is particularly conscious of its position of responsibility during its presidency of the UN Security Council. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Cowen, spoke to UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and to the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, on the evening the US-led response commenced. The following day and at our initiative the Security Council was briefed by the US and British representatives on the action initiated by their armed forces.
It is important that the role of the Council is acknowledged. The Security Council recognises the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter and agreed that the USA and UK action was being taken in exercise of that right. Under the UN Charter measures taken by members in the exercise of the right to self-defence must be reported immediately to the Security Council. This was done immediately after the commencement of attacks on Sunday 7 October, by letters to the President of the Security Council from both the USA and UK. They made it clear that the military action is directed at terrorists and those who harbour them, not at the civilian population. By its very nature, the action taken by the US and UK armed forces is in stark contrast with the attacks by the terrorists on 11 September, who set out to deliberately attack the civilian population in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The UN Secretary General when commenting about the military operations, recognised the right to self-defence as contained in the UN Charter.
A key priority of our presidency of the Security Council is to ensure that resolutions on terrorism are implemented, in particular the follow-up to Security Council Resolution 1373 which was agreed on 28 September. A Security Council counter-terrorism committee has been set up. This committee was established on foot of Resolution 1373 and will monitor how states comply with the provisions of the resolution in areas such as the financing of terrorism and denying safe haven to terrorists. The crucially important International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, 1999, was signed in New York on 15 October by the Irish Permanent Representative to the UN. It requires states parties to make it an offence in their national law for any person, directly or indirectly, unlawfully and wilfully, to provide or collect funds with the intention or in the knowledge that they are to be used to carry out terrorist acts. Ireland will participate fully in the efforts of the international community to choke off the funds of terrorists. The preparation of primary legislation to enable ratification of the convention is being given the highest priority by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The role of the UN is critical to the ultimate successful resolution of the situation in Afghanistan. That country cannot be allowed to remain a failed state where continuing internal conflicts breed illegal activities and provide a safe haven for terrorists. Our long-term objective is to support a UN-led peace process towards a truly representative government for the Afghan people. As President of the Security Council, Ireland is closely involved with the multi-track consultations on the situation. It is not appropriate to create prescriptions for post-Taliban Afghanistan. Any arrangements must be seen to come from the Afghan people themselves. We are in favour of a stable, fully representative government with the security of sustained, and well co-ordinated development and rehabilitation assistance from the international community. Ireland stands ready to assist in whatever way it can in achieving this.
The EU has adopted a key role in supporting the fight against terrorism. The special European Council which met on 21 September gave a clear political impetus to confronting the challenge of terrorism. It was agreed to pursue a wide range of judicial co-operation measures. These include Commission proposals for council framework decisions on combating terrorism and on the introduction of a European arrest warrant. The meeting of EU foreign ministers on 8 October expressed its whole-hearted support for the action being taken in self defence and in conformity with the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1368. The Council also stressed that the carefully targeted response launched on 7 October was not an attack on Islam nor the people of Afghanistan, whom the EU is determined to support and sustain.
Urgent work is under way in various Council formations to evolve concrete measures for consideration and adoption next December. A special general affairs council meeting is being held in Luxembourg today to review progress in advance of the informal European Council next Friday. Together with our partners in the EU, Ireland is in favour of a UN-led process in the vital next stages for Afghanistan. As with EU relations with third countries, in order to support counter terrorism and international law, we need to provide assistance and support to a category of countries in need, as recognised by Security Resolution 1373. Afghanistan's neighbours stand to benefit. Reconstruction in Afghanistan would stimulate Pakistan's economy and reinforce economic relations between the two countries. The Government has established internal arrangements to co-ordinate the follow through on our national responsibilities under the UN and EU initiatives. The newly created Office of Emergency Planning will assist in better co-ordinating our response to any threats which we may yet face.
It cannot be denied or ignored that the continued failure to achieve a just and comprehensive settlement in the Middle East is one of the major factors giving rise to acts of terrorism in that region and in the wider world. Any approach to the problem of global terrorism must take account of the grievances of the Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation while recognising the right of the Israeli people to live in peace and security. Ireland has long supported the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their own state. The best prospect of achieving a viable, independent state, which exists in fact and not only in name is, as the Palestinians themselves recognise, through the Middle East peace process.
President Arafat visited Dublin two days ago and briefed the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the current situation in the region. He asked Ireland to use all its influence in the international community to aid the process. No one can be under any illusion that the parties to this conflict will resolve matters without international support and occasional pressure. The murder today of the Israeli tourism minister, Rehavam Ze'evi, illustrates the difficulties faced in the peace process. Further assassinations are absolutely counterproductive to progress and are clearly the work of enemies of the peace process.
There has clearly been a renewal of international commitment to the region in the past few weeks, which I welcome. Ireland will contribute to peace efforts as fully as is possible through the European Union, the United Nations and other international fora, as well as through ongoing bilateral contacts with the parties. In terms of practical assistance to the Palestinian people, Ireland Aid has had a development programme for the Palestinian territories for some years. Expenditure this year is budgeted at approximately IR£1.2 million in addition to the IR£1.24 million provided in emergency relief since the start of the Intifada.
I give particular attention to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. As Minister of State with particular responsibility in this area, I am acutely aware of the enormous challenge the world community now faces in protecting the vulnerable people of Afghanistan. Their lives remain at risk, not only from ongoing conflict but also from the climatic hardships of drought and winter. In coming to terms with the appalling attacks perpetrated against the people of the United States, the world has also become more aware than ever of how protracted the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has been. It has spanned two decades of conflict and has been worsened in recent years by successive outbreaks of severe drought. To make things even worse for the Afghan people, they now face the onset of the harsh winter.
Earlier this year the UN conducted a number of nutritional surveys of displaced persons at various locations within Afghanistan. Around the same time Concern conducted a nutritional survey among the settled community in northern Afghanistan. All of these surveys found that people, whether still living in their homes or displaced from them, were running out of resources with which to cope with the onset of winter in mid-November. Having used their remaining food supplies and sold their livestock and seed stocks to survive during the period of summer drought, hundreds of thousands of people are now facing into a bleak winter for which they are ill-equipped. In a country whose people rely predominantly on agricultural activity to survive, the collapse of crop yields and of the small but important income they generate is catastrophic.
Ireland and other international donors have been working for some time now to help meet the demands of the Afghan humanitarian crisis. Last October, the Government gave it priority as a then "forgotten emergency". Days before the 11 September atrocities, the World Food Programme issued a $152 million humanitarian appeal. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that between 3 and 5 million people will suffer as of now if we fail to get aid to them before winter, which comes before the middle of November.
Taking account of these underlying realities, the Government has focused on four main objectives in its efforts to help resolve the humanitarian crisis, namely, getting aid into Afghanistan to the hundreds of thousands at risk within its borders, including by securing or negotiating safe delivery routes through which this can reliably take place; beating the winter deadline – we have only until mid-November to get aid through before the harsh winter sets in or millions of Afghans will die; protecting emergency aid stocks, humanitarian workers and the vulnerable population – both in Afghanistan and along its borders – and we wish to see all humanitarian activity protected in accordance with international humanitarian law; and re-opening borders so that aid agencies and their staff can respond effectively and, of equal importance, so refugees can get to safety. UNHCR is prepared for an initial 1.5 million refugees; we must have the flexibility to deal with any increase in this estimate.
The Government's overriding priority in humanitarian terms is to get aid to the hundreds of thousands at risk within Afghanistan as soon as possible. We are making every appropriate effort, including discussion at a special General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, to give the humanitarian emergency the urgent attention it requires. It is a core component of Ireland's working programme in its Presidency of the UN Security Council. The Minister for Foreign Affairs raised it in the course of his various meetings in Washington and New York in September. It is being actively pursued in our bilateral meetings with the key UN and regional representatives. Our permanent representation to the UN in Geneva is similarly engaged on a daily basis with the relevant UN, Red Cross and other international humanitarian agencies.
At a meeting of the Security Council yesterday, Ireland highlighted the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and commended the work of humanitarian organisations in the region. We urged Pakistan and Iran to reopen their borders to enable cross-border deliveries of aid and to facilitate preparations for an influx of refugees. We stressed the need for the international community to provide host countries with financial support in this regard. We also emphasised the need for UN involvement, with inputs from the EU and other relevant organisations and in consultation with regional partners in the process of achieving new governmental arrangements for Afghanistan. UN involvement would also be needed in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan and in long-term humanitarian assistance.
I was able to press home the importance of all these humanitarian priorities when I attended a specially convened meeting of EU Development Ministers, which was held in Brussels last week on 10 October. At the meeting, which dealt solely with Afghanistan, we had an opportunity to discuss how the EU can effectively respond to the needs in that country and how long-term development assistance can contribute to the fight against terrorism in a broader context.
Following my recent announcement of an additional £2.8 million in emergency assistance, Ireland has provided a total of £4.03 million to the people of Afghanistan this year. Similarly, the EU has committed over €300 million. This expenditure represents both the gravity of the current crisis and the enormous humanitarian commitment that Ireland and other EU member states are making to Afghanistan. As I said, we now have a clear and pressing challenge – to deliver that aid to those who need it most before winter sets in. Ireland Aid is continuing to work closely with our NGOs and other partners to achieve this.
Before 11 September, it was estimated that above 700,000 people were displaced within the territory of Afghanistan. Since then, more people have been uprooted from their homes and the current figure for internally displaced people is somewhere above 1 million. The anticipated mass exodus of refugees has not materialised to date. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that about 1,000 refugees have fled Afghanistan each day since the appalling events of 11 September. To date, therefore, most of those who have fled their homes have chosen to remain in the countryside in Afghanistan. However, this has created a further layer of problems for the people concerned, which must also be addressed by the international community.
We cannot afford to become complacent about the low level of refugee movement to date. If the current refugee problem escalates significantly over the next few weeks the borders may have to be reopened. The UNHCR is catering for the possible influx of 1.5 million refugees across the border of Afghanistan and Iran. This is a very real possibility and we must lay plans now to deal with it. We will continue our efforts to ensure that the international donor community and countries hosting refugees can work together to respond effectively to the evolving refugee situation.
We also support the ongoing work of Irish NGOs such as Trócaire, Christian Aid, GOAL and Concern in trying to improve circumstances for refugees and mitigate the impact of increasing population on local host communities. In addition, we are supporting the provision of basic water, sanitation and nutritional needs for those stranded within the country. Our support for humanitarian efforts, both within Afghanistan and along its borders, is intended to provide balance in the focus of Ireland's humanitarian response.
The humanitarian problems of Afghanistan are an enormously challenging burden for the world to carry. As a caring international community, we have to find effective means of ensuring delivery of vital humanitarian assistance to those who need it most when they need it. We have to balance the enormous international aid commitment, which is somewhere in excess of $700 million, with an adequate and co-ordinated means of reaching its intended beneficiaries. While aware of the difficulties in ensuring the effective delivery of aid to all parts of Afghanistan, I hope that these can be resolved by concerted effort between the various parties concerned.
There are a number of aid delivery routes being operated by the World Food Programme and other international agencies. In addition, Irish and other NGOs are making their own efforts to source and deliver aid into Northern Afghanistan via neighbouring countries such as Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. While these aid delivery routes are effective in their own right, they remain vulnerable to interruption and have, in some cases, been cut off at different times. It is vital to ensure secure and unhindered access arrangements for food convoys over the coming weeks.
At present, it is estimated that about 1,000 metric tonnes of aid are being delivered in Afghanistan each day by the UN agencies. This delivery rate has to be increased considerably if a humanitarian disaster is to be averted. The scale of this potential disaster is more than five times that of the refugee crisis that followed the Rwandan genocide of 1994. It is incumbent upon us all to co-operate fully in this enormous humanitarian endeavour so we can succeed in dealing with the first major humanitarian crisis of the twenty first century.
I thank Senators for their attention.