Seán Ryan
Question:25 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his participation in and the outcome of the General Affairs Council in Brussels on 22 and 23 March 2004. [9920/04]
View answerWednesday, 31 March 2004
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Written answers
On behalf of the Presidency I chaired the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on 22 March 2004. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Roche, attended the Council as the Irish national representative.
In advance of the Council, the Minister of State appeared before the Joint Committee on European Affairs on Friday, 19 March 2004, to review the Council's agenda. Following the Council, my Department forwarded the relevant conclusions prepared by the Council Secretariat to the committee for information. These are also available on the following Internet address: www.ue.eu.int/newsroom/indexem.htm.
In accordance with its usual practice, the Council met in two sessions, one dealing with general affairs and the other dealing with external relations. During the session on general affairs, the Council took note of the resolutions, decisions and opinions recently adopted by the European Parliament and also took note of the standard Presidency report on the progress of work in other Council configurations. The Council also considered the Presidency's draft annotated agenda for the European Council of 25 to 26 March. The principal items in the draft annotated agenda were the Lisbon Strategy, the IGC, terrorism and the international situation.
The Council addressed a wide range of issues in the session on external relations and adopted conclusions in relation to the Middle East, the EU Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Iran, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the Western Balkans. Ministers had an in-depth discussion on the situation in Kosovo following the recent outbreak of ethnically-motivated violence. The Council reiterated its commitment to the development of a stable, democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo, and its support for the efforts of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Harri Holkeri, and the standards before status process.
Ministers adopted an interim report on the EU Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East. They condemned the extra-judicial killing of Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and seven other Palestinians by Israeli forces. The Council held a discussion on Iran in light of the recent meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. Ministers considered the approach which the Union will adopt at the 60th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. Ministers reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers' meeting in Ireland. In addition, the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement with Russia and the situation in Haiti were discussed under any other business.
A ministerial meeting with the Council of Europe took place in the margins of the General Affairs and External Relations Council at which a number of issues of interest to the EU and the Council of Europe were discussed.