I propose to take Question No. 6 and Priority Question No. 21 together. I have already set out the concerns of the Government about the US attack on Libya in reply to questions in this House on 15 April.
As I indicated on that occasion, the Government share the concerns of the United States about international terrorism. I also pointed out that we believe that terrorism can be defeated by political means. To this end, we have been engaged in the last few weeks in an intensive round of consultations with our European partners in the elaboration of an agreed European strategy to confront the challenge of international terrorism and to provide protection against terrorist attacks.
Throughout this crisis, I have urged the need for restraint on the part of all concerned and have emphasised the importance we in Ireland attach to the role of the United Nations and in particular the Security Council in facilitating the peaceful resolution of crises of this kind.
We received no advance notification of the US intention to launch an attack on Libya. Since the attack the US authorities have been in communication with my Department and they have informed us of the action they had taken and of the background to their decision. The US authorities, for their part, are fully aware of our concern about this crisis.
Within the framework of the common Twelve strategy for countering international terrorism, a number of measures have been agreed, including measures directed at Libya in the field of diplomatic and consular relations as well as stricter visa requirements and procedures. The Twelve will also examine the scope for reduction in the size of non-diplomatic Libyan offices in their countries and there will be greater concentration on the problem of abuses of diplomatic immunity.
On the basis of these decisions, several partners have already taken action to reduce the size of Libyan missions in their countries. As Deputies will be aware, Ireland maintains diplomatic relations with Libya on a non-resident basis.
In addition, the Twelve have decided not to export to Libya arms or other military equipment. They are agreed, moreover, that they will do everything in their power to ensure that their nationals and industry do not seek any commercial advantage from measures taken by others in response to terrorist attack. The Twelve have taken no decision on the imposition of trade sanctions as such against Libya. We and other partners have at all times made clear our opposition to such sanctions as inappropriate.
In the context of the present crisis, the Twelve have called for restraint and have taken steps to engage interested states, including the Arab states, in a dialogue about international terrorism and about effective methods of eradicating it. The Government strongly support this ongoing effort to elaborate a common European political response to the threat posed by international terrorism and to discourage support by any state for those who engage in terrorist attack. We believe that if there is an effective deterrent against state-supported terrorism, this will serve to diminish the dangers of military confrontation arising from such support.
