20 Nov 2012, 16:53
The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade will tomorrow meet with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore TD for a briefing on the outcomes of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, held in Brussels yesterday 19 November.
20 November 2012
At the meeting, Foreign Ministers called for an \"urgent de-escalation and cessation of hostilities\" between Gaza and Israel, urging an immediate end to all attacks.
Committee Chairman, Pat Breen TD said: “Oireachtas Committees have taken on an important role in considering the approach taken by Government Ministers at the EU Council of Ministers meetings and tomorrow’s engagement with the Tánaiste will focus on the outcomes of the EU Foreign Affairs Council earlier this week.
“Our Committee has followed the escalation of hostilities on the Israel-Gaza border with deep concern. There can be no justification for the targeting of innocent civilians, be they from rockets fired from Gaza deep into Israel or attacks on civilians in Gaza from the Israeli side. We look forward to a detailed briefing from the Tánaiste on how Ireland can contribute at European and international fora to ending the needless violence.”
Separately, the Committee will host a general discussion on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with Peadar King who produced and presented the \"What in the World?\" television series.
Deputy Breen continues: “Tomorrow’s meeting with Peadar King is a timely opportunity to reflect on the problems facing a vast country that has endured the deadliest conflict since the Second World War. Under the right conditions the DRC could be an economic powerhouse, with enormous mineral wealth, unrivalled hydro power potential and rich agricultural land. However, instability in eastern provinces, as well as poor governance and corruption, means that the DRC remains one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world.
\"Since 2010, Ireland has disbursed more than €13 million in aid and Irish expert observers formed part of an EU Election Observer Mission for the November 2011 elections. With the EU Foreign Affairs Council yesterday stressing that a military solution to the ongoing conflict in Congo was not sustainable, our Committee hopes to gain an insight into the complexities of the conflict in the eastern provinces and the humanitarian consequences of it. The violence has intensified in recent months because of a mutiny by the ‘M23’ group and we look forward to engaging with Mr King on the steps required from the international community to restore stability and bring some relief to the humanitarian situation.”
This meeting will commence with engagement with Peadar King in Committee Room 1, Leinster House at 3 pm on Wednesday, 21 November. The meeting with the Tánaiste will follow at approximately 5 pm.
Committee proceedings can be followed live here.
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: 087 694 9926
Committee Membership
Deputies
Seán Crowe, TD
Pat Breen, TD (Chairman)
Eric Byrne, TD
Olivia Mitchell, TD
Bernard J Durkan, TD
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, TD
Gerald Nash, TD
Dan Neville, TD
Maureen O’Sullivan, TD
Brendan Smith, TD
Senators
Deirdre Clune,
Mark Daly,
Lorraine Higgins,
Michael Mullins,
David Norris,
Jim Walsh.