Bernard J. Durkan
Question:137 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way in which Ireland intends to influence the ongoing situation in Iraq; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10290/04]
View answerWednesday, 31 March 2004
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Written answers
As President of the EU, Ireland participates in the United Nations ‘Group of Friends' and the Iraqi Core Group. This participation furthers the EU aim of contributing towards the political — Group of Friends — and economic — Iraqi Core Group — reconstruction of Iraq.
Ireland also seeks to influence the situation in Iraq through bilateral contacts with key players. In this regard, the Government has recently had exchanges with the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his special adviser, Lakhder Brahimi, Iraqi human rights Minister, Abdelbaset Saaed and United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, senior figures in the Governments of other permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Secretary General of the Arab League and Governments of the region as well as important NGOs. In these bilateral contacts, we have stressed our key positions that we support as rapid a transfer of power as possible to a democratically elected Iraqi Government and that the UN should play a strong and vital role in the transition process.
We will also continue to raise the issues involved with EU partners and seek to achieve consensus on the situation and the way forward. As a result of such work, the recent European Council adopted an important declaration which welcomed recent positive political development in relation to Iraq, including the signing of the Transitional Administrative Law and the UN's acceptance of the invitation received from the current Iraqi authorities to assist with the formation of an interim government and with the preparation for elections. The council also noted the European Union's determination to assist the Iraqi people as they enter a new era in the history of their country.
Ireland's humanitarian assistance to Iraq this year will be channelled through trusted partners such as UN agencies, international organisations and trusted NGOs. At the Madrid donors' conference in October 2003, Ireland pledged up to €3 million in further assistance to Iraq. This was in addition to the €5 million funding package which had already been delivered in 2003.