I propose to take Questions Nos. 43, 44, 50, 54 and 114 together.
Ireland considers that the Kurds in Iraq have a right to an identity, language and culture within Iraq and that the Iraqi Government has an obligation to reach an internal settlement which guarantees respect for the legitimate aspirations of all the people within Iraq.
Ireland has joined with other Community member states in condemning Iraq's brutal repression of the Kurdish people, in calling for an immediate end to violence against civilians and in supporting moves to ensure that refugees can have an assurance of security and that they can receive and benefit from the international humanitarian aid being provided.
Ireland fully supports the French-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution (688) which cited Iraqi aggression against the Kurds as a threat to international peace and stability in the region. The resolution insisted that Iraq allow access for international relief organisations and demanded that Iraq ensure respect for the political and human rights of all citizens. The resolution sent a clear message to Iraq that the international community would not stand by while large numbers of innocent people suffered from repression in all its forms inflicted by the Iraqi authorities.
A way has to be found to ensure that the Kurds suffer no further repression and that badly needed supplies can reach them safely. Ireland will continue to support every effort to this end. It was the clear view of the informal meeting of the European Council on 8 April that the provision of humanitarian aid to the Kurds is not a sufficient response to their situation. The meeting considered the establishment in Iraq of a zone or zones where refugees could feel secure from repression and that humanitarian aid could effectively be supplied to them. The Twelve do not have in mind the dismantling of Iraq as a state: it is necessary to maintain the territorial integrity of that country, but against the background of numerous deaths of innocent people exposed to extreme conditions in which delivery of adequate assistance is very difficult, the Heads of State or Government were convinced of the need to provide refugees with adequate security in which they could benefit from the aid now being massively supplied.
Ireland welcomed the news of the visit to the region of the UN Secretary General's personal representative to study the tragic situation there. I believe that the establishment of the presence of the UN in the region, and perhaps also that of the Red Cross, may establish a de facto security zone for the Iraqi Kurds. The Secretary General yesterday expressed optimism along these lines. The deployment, announced yesterday, of US, UK and French troops to assist with aid distribution may also help to establish the necessary confidence. For our part we would welcome all such efforts which are consistent with the UN Security Council resolutions and with the UN Charter.
The most immediate need in this regard is the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance. The refugees must be provided with food, shelter and medicines now and Ireland is playing its part in this effort. At a special European Council in Luxembourg on 8 April 1991 it was agreed that the Community and its member states would provide 150 million ECUs immediately, equivalent to £120 million as part of the international relief effort to assist the Kurdish refugees.
As indicated by the Taoiseach in Luxembourg, the Government are providing £1 million of which about £700,000 will be provided through the Community budget and close to £300,000 bilaterally. We are therefore providing our pro rata share of the Community contribution in full and we may in fact exceed what is required under the agreed Community key.
I am sure all Deputies have been moved, as I have been, by the graphic and harrowing media coverage of the plight of the Kurdish refugees. This dreadful suffering, in particular the suffering of the weakest among them, the very young and the very old, has touched us all; effective and speedy assistance must be organised in such a way that this tragedy is ended as speedily and completely as possible. There have been signs, within the past 48 hours, that improvements are being made — more aid is getting through, at least some refugees are being brought to a more hospitable and welcoming terrain, and a basic organisational structure and capacity for distributing food and medical attention is being established. It still remains the case that actual implementation of better co-ordinated programmes and full and speedy delivery of the resources pledged are clearly needed.
The first consignment of Irish official assistance arrived in Teheran yesterday on an Aer Turas flight. It was organised by the Irish Red Cross to whom the Government have given £200,000 towards their appeal for funds to purchase emergency relief supplies. On arrival, this flight was met by the Irish Ambassador and by the Iranian Red Crescent Society. The supplies were unloaded immediately and put on trucks for despatch to the refugees in the north-west of Iran. A Red Cross volunteer will remain some time in Iran to liaise with their Red Crescent Society. We plan to make a further allocation of about £100,000 from the Disaster Relief Fund within the next few days. As Deputies will be aware, the Irish effort is part of the major international relief operation now under way.
The Government will keep the situation under review and will consider further action in the light of developments. I would also wish to note that the Irish people have responded magnificently once more to yet another call on their sympathy and generosity. Private individuals, public service organisations and business firms have provided resources for those in direst need and have organised help in practical and concrete ways.
The Government have no plans at present to provide asylum in Ireland for Kurdish refugees. We will, of course, continue to keep this matter under review, but it is the Government's belief that the proper solution to the Kurdish problem is not mass emigration but rather the setting up of arrangements which will allow them return safely to their own homes.
