Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 March 2013
68. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of discussions in relation to Syria at the recent EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting; the decisions taken and follow up action by the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15885/13]
View answer77. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which together with his EU colleagues and the UN, it is intended to bring further pressure on the authorities in Syria with particular reference to the need to bring about a permanent cease-fire and address the human rights and other issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15930/13]
View answer78. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if particular discussions have taken place at EU and UN level with a view to exerting greater pressure on Syria to bring about a cessation of hostilities, the distribution of aid and restoration of basic human rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15931/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 77 and 78 together.
The situation in Syria was the major issue discussed at the most recent Foreign Affairs Council meeting, which I attended in Brussels on 11 March, and also at the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers which I co-hosted with High Representative Ashton in Dublin on 22-23 March. These discussions focussed on how the EU can best promote a peaceful resolution to the crisis and alleviate the sufferings of so many Syrians caught up in this violent conflict since March 2011.
At the Council meeting on 11 March, my EU colleagues and I had a valuable exchange with the UN/League of Arab States Special Envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, who briefed us in detail on the current situation in Syria. Special Envoy Brahimi was honest in his assessment and expressed the clear view that only a negotiated settlement can salvage what is left of Syria and offer the hope of an end to the conflict.
At the informal “Gymnich” meeting last weekend in Dublin, EU partners reaffirmed their full support for the Special Envoy Brahimi in what he is doing. We also made clear that the priority for the EU is to achieve a peaceful and negotiated solution to the crisis.
Considerable attention has also been devoted to reviewing the current EU sanctions which apply against Syria. We want to ensure through these measures that pressure remains on the Assad regime to stop its repression and to engage in a process of political dialogue with the opposition. At the 18 February Foreign Affairs Council, we agreed to renew the full range of existing sanctions for a further period of three months, until 1 June. At the request of the European Council on 14-15 March, we again discussed this subject at the informal meeting held in Dublin last weekend. We agreed to continue our discussion at the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on 22 April with a view to reaching a common position ahead of the 1 June renewal date.
There is also a need to ensure full accountability in relation to the gross human rights violations and war crimes which have been committed by all sides to this conflict. Ireland has been to the fore within the EU in supporting calls for the situation in Syria to be referred by the UN Security Council to the International Criminal Court. In January we joined 57 other UN members in co-signing a letter sent by Switzerland to the President of the UN Security Council which called for referral to the ICC. I also issued a joint statement on the same subject with my Austrian, Danish and Slovenian counterparts the same month.
As a new member of the UN Human Rights Council, we have been active during the Council’s most recent session in building support for a strong resolution on the current human rights situation in Syria. This resolution, which calls for referral to the appropriate international criminal justice mechanism in the case of gross human rights violations, was overwhelmingly adopted by the Council on 22 March.
The plight of millions of ordinary Syrians remains a growing concern for Ireland and its EU partners as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, in and outside Syria. Ireland and its EU partners are making a major contribution to the UN-led humanitarian relief operations. The EU is collectively the largest donor to such efforts, having contributed some €600 million in aid to date. Ireland’s humanitarian assistance to Syria over the past year amounts to €7.1 million.
The conflict in Syria has been a major priority for Ireland and the EU over the last two years and will likely remain at the top of our foreign policy agenda during Ireland’s EU Presidency. We will continue to use whatever influence we have in our Presidency role and at all levels of our international engagement to support and promote European and UN efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
