Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 May 2013
69. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he had with members of the Elders on a recent visit to Dublin; the discussions he had with former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, former President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter and others regarding their objectives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23418/13]
View answerI had the opportunity to have a wide ranging and constructive discussion with members of the Elders group when they visited Dublin last Friday 10 May. The Elders are independent leaders using their collective experience and influence for peace, justice and human rights worldwide. The Elders' visit to Dublin followed the organisation’s twice yearly meeting, held at Mount Juliet on the 8 and 9 May, to review their work programme and plan future activities. On their visit to Dublin the Elders held two roundtables – a closed roundtable discussion with a group of young people from Northern Ireland at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), and a private roundtable with NGOs, European diplomats and staff from my department at Iveagh House, held under Chatham House rules, to explore Europe’s role in reviving the Middle East peace process and the two-state solution. I addressed the roundtable held at Iveagh House on Middle East issues, which was hosted by President Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Trócaire and Christian Aid also participated in the discussions. Gro Harlem Brundtland chaired the roundtable at the IIEA on Northern Ireland issues which was attended by Martti Ahtisaari and by Ela Bhatt also. The Elders listened to the particular challenges facing young people in Northern Ireland and encouraged the young people to work together and to take a lead in building a peaceful, inclusive and culturally vibrant society in Northern Ireland.
Later I hosted a lunch with the Elders – Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson, Martti Ahtisaari, Ela Bhatt, and Gro Harlem Brundtland, where we discussed a range of issues that are of mutual concern, in particular the Middle East peace process and the possibility of the EU introducing clear labelling of products made in Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, to protect prospects for a Palestine state living side by side with Israel. Other issues we discussed included the current situation in Syria; Northern Ireland and the challenges of building a reconciled and shared society for all communities; development issues and the recent Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Change Conference that Mary Robinson and I co-hosted; and the Great Lakes Region (as Mary Robinson was recently appointed as UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa). At the lunch the Elders also briefed me on the outcome and lessons learned from both roundtables and the Elders peace-building activities, while I outlined to the Elders Ireland’s foreign policy objectives and the progress we have so far made in our Presidency programme, in particular on the area of development.
