Written Answers Nos. 61-68
62. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the reported use of chemical weapons near the Syrian northern city of Aleppo on 19 March; if he has any further information on the reported use of these chemical weapons; if this was discussed at the informal meeting of the EU’s Foreign Ministers in Dublin on 22 and 23 of March. [15517/13]
View answerOn Wednesday 20 March Syria formally requested the UN Secretary General to undertake an investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Khan al-Asal, near Aleppo, following an alleged attack on Tuesday 19 March. It is not the first time that allegations of chemical weapons use have been made in the current Syrian conflict. Reports concerning the use of a known chemical weapon appeared in December 2012 but have not been confirmed or independently investigated. We do not, as of yet, have any information relating to the reports of an alleged attack on 19 March. UN Secretary General Ban announced on 21 March that he had agreed to undertake the investigation requested by the Syrian authorities. The investigation team will include personnel from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the World Health Organisation. The Director General of the OPCW indicated last Thursday that he had agreed to the request from the UN to provide assistance to the investigation, as required by the Chemical Weapons Convention in the case of allegations of use by a non-State Party.
The mandate for the investigation will be finalised in the coming days. Ireland believes that any investigation should consider all instances of alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria and I can assure the Deputy that we will support as comprehensive a mandate as possible.
In addition, reference was made to this issue during a discussion of the situation in Syria which took place at the informal meeting of Foreign Ministers in Dublin on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 March. The Deputy will be aware that the European Union has previously expressed serious concern at the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria and that it has called on Syria never to use such weapons under any circumstances and to store its stockpile securely pending independently verified destruction.
Syria is bound by the terms of the 1925 Geneva Protocol and by customary international law. Any confirmed use of chemical weapons by it would therefore be a breach of its obligations. However, Syria is not State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of chemical weapons and obliges States Parties to destroy any stockpiles they may have in accordance with a strict verification mechanism. Notwithstanding Syria’s non-adherence to the Convention, the reported use of these weapons in Syria will need to be addressed at the forthcoming Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which will take place in The Hague from 8 to 19 April.
63. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the need for Israel to open its nuclear programme for inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency and join the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty without delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15511/13]
View answerIreland has for some time called upon Israel to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) without further delay and to place all of its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. We have repeatedly called for universality of the Treaty in national as well as EU statements and also through our participation in the New Agenda Coalition. Ireland has also played an active role in promoting a Middle East free of all weapons of mass destruction – nuclear, chemical and biological. We see this as a priority objective not just in terms of promoting longer term peace and stability in the region but also in terms of protecting the NPT, with which Ireland has been closely associated. The NPT is acknowledged as a cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament.
In 1995, the Treaty was extended indefinitely in a package of agreements that also included a resolution on the Middle East which envisages a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the region. It is important for the Treaty that this Middle East resolution is fully implemented. At the 2010 NPT Review Conference, Ireland brokered agreement on some practical next steps towards implementation, including a Conference to be attended by all States of the region. This agreement represented the first real progress towards implementing the 1995 Resolution in the fifteen years since it had been agreed, and Ireland’s role in this has been acknowledged. Work is presently underway to create the conditions necessary for a Conference in Helsinki in which all states of the region, including Israel, can participate.
Israel has never officially declared itself to possess nuclear weapons and draws a veil over its capabilities in this regard. It is one of just three states which are not party to the NPT. The Deputy can be assured that Ireland will continue to call on Israel and the two other states to accede without delay to the Treaty as non-nuclear weapons states and to conclude a full scope safeguards agreement with the IAEA.
The Deputy can also be assured that universal adherence to, and full implementation of, the NPT will remain key foreign policy objectives for the Government as we approach the next NPT Review Conference in 2015.
64. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the case of a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer (details supplied), who was recently arrested for obstruction and denied bail; if the Irish Consulate in Zimbabwe is closely following the case; and if it will be possible for the Irish Honorary Consul to attend her next court appearance on 3 April. [15535/13]
View answerI am aware of the case of the Zimbabwean human rights lawyer who was arrested recently in Harare. The European Union Delegation to Zimbabwe in Harare is also following the case closely, and members of its staff have maintained regular contact with the person involved. We have been informed by the Delegation that the lawyer was granted bail by the Zimbabwean High Court on Monday, 25 March, and has requested that Embassies in Harare do not become involved in the case beyond observing developments.
Our Embassy in Pretoria in South Africa is responsible for the Government’s relations with Zimbabwe. The Embassy will continue to monitor the situation closely, and is ready to assist in any way which might be helpful.
65. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding talks between the EU and the US on a trade deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15423/13]
View answerThe Government identified the need to advance the prospects of an EU-US trade and investment agreement as a key priority for Ireland’s EU Presidency. I am pleased to report that significant progress has already been achieved with the decision of 13 February last by EU and US leaders to launch negotiations in the coming months.
The EU and the US are two of the world’s largest trading blocs and already have very strong trading and investment ties with each other. The joint EU-US High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth, set up following the last EU-US Summit in November 2011, was tasked with identifying policies and measures to further increase EU-US trade and investment including a possible trade and investment agreement to support mutually beneficial job creation, economic growth, and international competitiveness. That High Level Group issued its Final Report to EU and US Leaders on 12 February 2013. The Report concluded that a comprehensive agreement that addresses a broad range of bilateral trade and investment issues, including regulatory issues, and contributes to the development of global rules, would provide the most significant mutual benefit of the various options which had been considered. The Report therefore recommended to Leaders that each side initiate as soon as possible the formal domestic procedures necessary to launch negotiations on a comprehensive trade and investment agreement.
In a joint statement on 13 February 2013, EU and US Leaders welcomed the Report’s recommendations and confirmed that each side would initiate the internal procedures necessary to launch negotiations on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
In this context, on 12 March the European Commission agreed a draft negotiating mandate which is to be presented to EU Member States for approval by the Council of Ministers in order to start negotiations as soon as possible, still during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council. As Presidency, we will play our full part in achieving this objective.
For its part, on 20 March the acting US Trade Representative, on behalf of the President, formally notified Congress that the President intends to enter into negotiations with the EU on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and to initiate negotiations no earlier than 90 days after the transmittal of the notification.
Both the Taoiseach and I took the opportunity during our recent visit to Washington DC for St Patrick’s Day to reiterate the Government’s commitment, as EU Presidency, to work for approval of the negotiating mandate before the end of the Irish EU Presidency.
66. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts being made by his Department to foster trade with Brazil; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15832/13]
View answerBrazil, now the world’s sixth largest economy, is a priority market under the Government’s Trade Strategy. Officials of my Department work closely with State Agencies to promote trade and investment opportunities in this significant market. The overall trend in trade with Brazil is very positive. Ireland’s exports to Brazil reached €256 million in 2012, up 58% on 2007. Trade in services is also strong with Irish exports reaching €257 million in 2011, an increase of 47% on the previous year.
The promotion of strong bilateral relations with Brazil is a priority for Government. The successful visit to Brazil last October by President Michael D. Higgins provided a valuable opportunity to raise Ireland’s profile. President Higgins had a very positive meeting with Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff during which they discussed the growing bilateral relationship, in particular as regards trade and education. The President also met with political and business leaders in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. In this regard, I welcome indications that both the Mayor and Governor of Sao Paulo have announced their intention of sending, respectively, a trade mission and an investment mission to Ireland in the period ahead. Our Embassy in Brazil is following up with their respective offices.
My colleague the Minister of State for Trade and Development, Mr Joe Costello T.D., accompanied President Higgins and led a highly successful Enterprise Ireland Trade Mission. Other State Agencies that participated included IDA Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and Bord Bia. 42 Irish businesses and third-level education institutions participated and they were drawn from a wide-range of sectors including education, telecommunications, financial and engineering services. During the Mission participants advanced their interests in a range of ways including by securing export contracts, opening facilities and putting in place Memoranda of Understanding with Brazilian partners.
The Irish Embassy in Brazil and the Irish State Agencies work closely together on the promotion of Irish interests. Earlier this month, the Ambassador and his team collaborated with IDA Ireland on an investment mission that took place in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Plans are already underway for a further Enterprise Ireland Ministerial-led mission to Brazil later this year which will focus on Education and Technology, and the Embassy is working closely with the Enterprise Ireland office in Sao Paulo in this regard.
Officials of my Department both in the Embassy and at Headquarters will continue to collaborate closely with State Agencies, as well as with the network of governmental and business contacts that we have developed in Brazil, so as to provide effective support to Irish businesses and education institutions pursuing opportunities in this dynamic, high-growth market.
67. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his discussions in the US regarding the undocumented Irish and plans for immigration reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15848/13]
View answer81. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent, if any, to which he has had discussions with the authorities in the US in the matter of addressing the issue of undocumented Irish; if he can indicate any progress towards achieving specific targets in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15934/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 81 together.
The position of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States and the need to provide opportunities for future legal migration between Ireland and the US, through Ireland’s inclusion in the E3 visa programme, are important priorities for the Government. Both objectives featured prominently in the meetings the Taoiseach and I held in Washington with the US Administration and Congress during the St Patrick’s Day period. These included meetings with President Obama, Senators Leahy, Schumer, McCain and Isakson and with several leading members of the House of Representatives. I also discussed the prospects for immigration reform in my meetings with Secretary of State Kerry on 6 and 18 March.
The clear advice that emerged from these high level contacts remains that comprehensive reform is likely to be the only manner by which a resolution for the undocumented can be achieved.
The prospects for such reform have advanced in the wake of President Obama’s re-election. He emphasised his commitment to achieving a positive outcome in his inauguration and State of the Union addresses and during his meeting with the Taoiseach and myself on 19 March.
The indications of emerging bipartisan support for reform in Congress are also encouraging. Although work is underway in the Senate and the House of Representatives, full proposals have not yet been tabled and it is therefore not possible at this stage to identify an exact timescale during which progress might be achieved. It is also important to recognise that immigration remains a divisive political issue and that achieving a positive outcome will be very difficult.
I can assure the Deputies that this issue will continue to receive the Government’s closest attention over the period ahead.
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.
