I propose to take Questions Nos. 494 and 498 together.
Conflicts and crises in the wider Middle East region continue to be of great concern to the international community, and to feature prominently on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council. Some of these conflicts have followed directly from the events of the Arab Spring, when authoritarian regimes were challenged and in some cases overthrown. Others have arisen separately. There are active conflicts at present in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and unrest or terrorist attacks in several others.
The United Nations is also actively engaged in efforts to resolve all these conflicts, with Special Representatives of the Secretary General leading attempts to convene or advance political processes as alternatives to fighting. The EU seeks actively to support these efforts in whichever way it can.
All of these conflicts give rise to very serious humanitarian concerns, both in relation to the violence inflicted on the civil population and the necessity to cope with consequent flows of displaced persons and refugees within the region and further afield.
I have reported to the Oireachtas in more detail on all these conflicts, and will continue to do so.
