asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Irish Government have subscribed to recent United Nations proposals directed against racial discrimination.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Racial Discrimination.
21.
United Nations' activity in relation to racial discrimination at present takes place in the framework of the Decade for Action to combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, the ten-year period from 10 December 1973 proclaimed by the General Assembly. The General Assembly unanimously adopted a programme for the Decade, to which Ireland fully subscribed, setting out policy measures and guidelines and outlining activities to be undertaken within the UN system. This programme, while it dealt with racial discrimination in general naturally laid particular stress on the situation in Southern Africa where the problems posed by racism and racial discrimination are particularly acute.
In accordance with the programme, a world conference, in which Ireland participated, was held in Geneva from 14 to 25 August 1978. In the course of the elaboration of the final documents of the conference, a number of extraneous and unacceptable elements relating to the situation in the Middle East were introduced into these texts, which were otherwise generally acceptable to us. Ireland and its partners in the European Community, together with a number of other countries, felt obliged to dissociate themselves from these texts by taking no further part in the conference and by declining to approve the texts when they came up for endorsement by the General Assembly.
It may be noted that the member states of the European Community, including Ireland, had, since the adoption in 1975 of the resolution equating Zionism with racism, endeavoured to avert the introduction of extraneous elements into the Decade against Racism. Unfortunately, this effort was unsuccessful at Geneva.
Ireland naturally continues to support UN efforts to combat racism and racial discrimination on the basis of the original programme. I hope that future activities during the decade will be on this basis.
What is involved in the extraneous elements to which the Minister refers?
Basically, what is involved is that there has been a tendency, both at the UN and at the world conference to which I referred, particularly in regard to the situation in the Middle East, to couple Zionism with racism. During the course of my visits to Africa I pointed out to the various heads of government and foreign ministers with whom I met that we do not regard this tendency as helpful in the whole situation of racial discrimination and racism. We put forward the view that, if there were problems to be resolved in the Middle East, they should be resolved on their merits and should not compromise our approach to the whole question of racial discrimination which is so rampant in South Africa.
Does this refer in any way to the fact that military advice and different kinds of assistance have been given by the Government of Israel to South Africa?
No. It refers to the equating of racism with Zionism. Whatever might be one's opinions on Zionism, it is not appropriate to equate it with racism. For that reason I should hope that the problems in the Middle East would be tackled independently and on their merits.