I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 18, 27, 60, 62 and 67 together.
The Government are deeply concerned about the plight of our citizens trapped in Kuwait and Iraq. Since the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq on 2 August, the safety and welfare of the over 400 Irish citizens in both countries has been and will continue to be a matter of very great concern to the Government. In both countries all Irish citizens are safe. None has been detained as part of the "human shield". I can assure the House that everything that can be done is being done to tackle the problems caused to Irish citizens as a result of Iraq's actions.
From the outset of the Gulf crisis, the Taoiseach and I have involved ourselves personally in the co-ordination of the national response to the plight of our citizens in Kuwait and Iraq. As part of the EC Troika of Foreign Ministers, I visited a number of capitals in the Gulf area in the days following the invasion. The question of the welfare and safety of our citizens was specifically raised during my meetings with Arab leaders. On my instructions, the Ambassador in Baghdad has made and will continue to make repeated and strongly worded protests to the Iraqi authorities from the Foreign Minister downwards about the situation of our citizens. We have increased the staff of our Embassy in Baghdad — all of whom have worked tirelessly to obtain the right for all our citizens to leave Kuwait and Iraq and to make the necessary arrangements in the case of those permitted to leave. I very much regret therefore the recent unjustified decision of the Iraqi authorities to ask the First Secretary of the Embassy in Baghdad to leave Iraq.
I have also been deeply involved in the discussions on this issue with my European Community colleagues. At our meeting of 21 August, the Twelve member states warned Iraq that any attempt to harm or jeopardise the safety of any EC citizen would be considered as a most grave offence directed against the Community and all its member states and would provoke a united response from the entire Community. Iraqi citizens have also been warned that they will be held personally responsible for any involvement in illegal action concerning the security and life of foreign citizens.
In addition to the protests made to the Iraqi authorities on my behalf by our Ambassador in Baghdad, I myself at my meeting last month with the Iraqi Ambassador to Ireland, formally protested on behalf of the Government at Iraq's refusal to respect the rights of people under international law to travel freely, including the right of all Irish people to leave Iraq for the destination of their choice. I informed him that such a denial of a basic human right was unacceptable and a breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iraq is a party.
Our efforts to secure as many visas as possible for our citizens have resulted in 68 per cent or 79 citizens, who were in Kuwait after 2 August, returning home safely. Of the remaining thirty citizens, four women and seven children could have availed of evacuation arrangements but have opted for the moment not to leave Kuwait.
All of the 19 men in Kuwait are free to leave for Iraq but so far have chosen to remain. Although the Embassy in Baghdad has been refused permission to make another consular visit to Kuwait, we keep in regular contact with our citizens through the valuable assistance given by those Western embassies still functioning there. They are continuing to pass messages to the Irish co-ordinator in Kuwait who in turn is in contact with our citizens there.
At the time of the Kuwait invasion, we had almost 300 citizens living in Iraq, the largest group of whom were working for the Parc Hospital in Baghdad. Our efforts to secure exit visas since then have resulted in 77 individuals being allowed to leave. There are now 230 Irish citizens in Iraq including ten who have returned voluntarily. In getting almost 20 per cent of our citizens out of that country, Ireland was the first country to be offered exit visas for the over 55 years of age category. We were the first to secure exit visas for many of our end of contract female employees. The unique Presidential concession of freedom of movement for personnel of the Parc Hospital, subject to the hospital services being continued, should also be a major benefit to Irish citizens working in the hospital when seeking exit visas. Overall almost 40 per cent or 157 Irish citizens who were trapped in Kuwait and Iraq after the 2 August invasion are now home safely.
In order to ensure that the relatives of those stranded in Iraq and Kuwait are kept as fully informed as possible, I formalised the provision of information with the establishment of the Special Information Service on the Middle East. The service collates all available information from our diplomatic missions, the European Community and other sources. It provides up-to-date information to relatives — 12 hours a day, seven days a week. My Department also readily agreed to provide a venue for the weekly meetings of the Gulf Relatives Support Group. Senior officials of the Department have met with the group every week since the invasion to brief the relatives on the latest developments. The Government have also provided to the Relatives Group an office with telephones, fax etc. for their exclusive use. This is intended to enable relatives of people stranded in the Gulf to speak to others who are in a similar situation.
Our recognition of the sense of helplessness many relatives feel is reflected in the willingness of both the Taoiseach and myself to meet the relatives committee.
We have had a full discussion as to how the Government could assist the relatives in this most distressing situation for them. The meetings also provided an opportunity to explain what the Government were doing to seek the early return home of their family members. The Taoiseach met the representation on 29 August and I met them on 11 September and again on 10 October.
At the meeting of 11 September, I undertook to write to all the relatives to explain the reasons why no member of the Government could travel to Iraq in an effort to secure the safe return home of all our citizens in Kuwait and Iraq. Among the reasons set out in my letter of 14 September were the fact that the UN sanctions are specifically designed to isolate Iraq. The holding of foreign nationals is being used by the Iraqis to blackmail individual countries to break that isolation and the solid front of international condemnation of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. The best way to prevent war is to adhere strictly to the EC and United Nations common approach against Iraq's breaches of international law. It also offers the best hope for the protection and safe return home of our citizens.
I also indicated in the letter that, for the same reasons of international solidarity, the Government would not encourage a visit to Iraq by members of the Oireachtas. At my meeting with the relatives committee on 10 October, I reiterated that the Government could not approve a visit by members of the Oireachtas to Iraq. At the same time, we are not in a position to stop such a visit. Such a visit has no official status. It must therefore be regarded as strictly private. Accordingly any arrangements for the visit must be made by the Oireachtas members themselves.
In conclusion, the House can be assured that the Government are sparing no effort to secure the maximum possible number of exit visas. It is, however, not within our power to bring our citizens home without the consent of the Iraqi authorities. All pressure is being brought to bear to achieve this end.