Vol. 445 No. 9
34 Mr. Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will urge the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights to dispatch 200 Human Rights Monitors to Rwanda as requested over four months ago to ensure the return of stability and security and to avoid reprisal killings. [1535/94]
39 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will continue to assist the Rwandan people in their struggle to come to terms with the destruction in their country; and if he will ensure that the Rwandan Government is supported in rebuilding the institutions of civil society such as the police force, the judicial system and the education system. [1407/94]
54 Mr. Boylan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will continue to assist the Rwandan people in their struggle to come to terms with the destruction in their country; and if he will ensure that the Rwandan Government is supported in rebuilding the institutions of civil society such as the police force, the judicial system and the education system. [1406/94]
57 Mr. Sheehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will continue to assist the Rwandan people in their struggle to come to terms with the destruction in their country; and if he will ensure that the Rwandan Government is supported in rebuilding the institutions of civil society such as the police force, the judicial system and the education system. [1405/94]
80 Mr. Connaughton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will continue to assist the Rwandan people in their struggle to come to terms with the destruction in their country; and if he will ensure that the Rwandan Government is supported in rebuilding the institutions of civil society such as the police force, the judicial system and the education system. [1408/94]
102 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will support the call made by Amnesty International for improved monitoring of human rights in Rwanda and Burundi and that those responsible for violations of fundamental rights in these countries be brought to justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1425/94]
130 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will continue to assist the Rwandan people in their struggle to come to terms with the terrible destruction in their country; and if he will ensure that the Rwandan Government is supported in rebuilding the institutions of civil society, such as, the police force, the judicial system and the education system. [1485/94]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 34, 39, 54, 57, 80, 102 and 130 together.
The scale of the suffering endured by the people of Rwanda since the crisis began last April has been immense. Up to one million people may have died. More than two million have fled to neighbouring countries and up to two million more are displaced internally.
It is clear that there will be a continued need for international action on a very large scale to facilitate the process of political reconciliation, to reconstruct the country and to create the conditions which will facilitate the return of the refugees.
At the political level the Government of National Unity has begun to put civilian administrative structures in place at the central, provincial and local level but every effort should be made to ensure that the Government and the army are more broadly based, and that civil and political rights are respected. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General is working actively to these ends and he has our full support.
The Government in Kigali has appealed to the international community for an immediate injection of financial help to put civil structures in place. Ireland will support this appeal with our European partners.
In my recent address to the UN General Assembly I called for the establishment of an international criminal tribunal along the lines of that organised for the former Yugoslavia, to bring justice to those accused of genocide and other grave violations of humanitarian law. In addition there is a clear need to monitor human rights and to prevent possible human rights violations from occurring. I am concerned that no more than 30 of the 147 human rights monitors recommended by the UN Commissioner for Human Rights have been put in place. We shall continue to press for early progress in these areas.
On the peacekeeping front, the UN Force in Rwanda (UNAMIR) stands at 4,300 out of a total authorised strength of 5,500. The rapid reinforcement of the force in early August contributed to the improvement of security inside Rwanda. It is hoped that as stability improves UNAMIR will be able to shift its emphasis from purely security related tasks to the support of humanitarian operations to assist populations in need and the return of refugees and displaced persons.
The humanitarian needs arising from the Rwandan crisis are huge and continue to stretch the capacity of the international community. The UN Special Representative, UNHCR and UNAMIR are actively trying to create the conditions to enable refugees to return to Rwanda and displaced persons to return to their homes but this is inhibited by the continuation of intimidation within the camps and by the security conditions in parts of Rwanda itself. I believe that the actions I have just outlined in the political and human rights areas will have a crucial bearing on the eventual solution to the refugee problems.
There will also be a need for increased attention to longer-term rehabilitation. It is vital that the international community provides quick and efficient rehabilitation assistance. To this end the UN has drawn up a Rwanda emergency normalisation plan which outlines the areas requiring both financial and technical assistance. The UN Development Programme has begun projects to support the development of Government Ministries.
Ireland has been actively involved bilaterally, in the European Union and at the United Nations, in addressing the crisis. The recent visit of the President was intended to show solidarity with the people of Rwanda and to underline the need for international action. Specific measures taken by the Government include: a contribution of £3.25 million for emergency relief programmes; a contribution of £50,000 for the UN voluntary fund established by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; the release of some 35 medical and logistical personnel from the Irish public service to assist Irish aid agencies, and the release of over 60 personnel from the Defence Forces to assist, in a civilian capacity, in the humanitarian work of UNHCR and Irish NGOs.
I want to pay tribute to all these Irish people who are giving selflessly of their time and energy in helping to overcome one of the greatest tragedies of our time.
It is well recognised that the Government, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Minister have been very generous in their response to the appalling genocide in Rwanda where up to one million people died. Is the Minister aware of the book issued by African Rights which reports that girls as young as five years were gang raped in public and that the appalling crime in this area was unprecedented?
I want to point out to the Minister the generosity and concern shown by a great number of ordinary Irish people. In this context, it should be noted that Senators Cotter and Reynolds and Deputy Owen spent up to a month working in a voluntary capacity with agencies in Rwanda. I also want to point out——
Brevity, please.
——that while the level of aid during the emergency was very generous it must be continued. There is also a real need for civil servants, engineers, teachers and technicians in Rwanda. Will the Government consider some element of assistance in the context of the Rwandan normalisation plan, which is what the Rwanda Government really needs from now on?
I appreciate the Deputy's remarks about the efforts of my Department and officials in coping with this horrendous tragedy. I compliment Deputy Owen and Senators Reynolds and Cotter who gave their time in dealing with this appalling human tragedy.
The President and the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, recently visited Rwanda and we are examining their conclusions. The President will meet the Secretary General of the United Nations at the earliest opportunity. It is important that we maintain the highest possible level of world attention on Rwanda. We are still very far away from achieving an ideal situation in Rwanda and I am aware of the grotesque incidents which have occurred in that country during the past two years. This is probably one of the greatest challenges the international community has ever had to face, and this is not to underestimate the difficulties in the former Yugoslavia which we discussed some time ago. The machinery of the United Nations and the international community has been put to the pin of its collar in coping with the size and scale of the tragedy, from which lessons must be learned. Following the Arusha Accord, there were prospects of avoiding such a tragedy. I do not think anyone realised at that stage the devastation which would take place on the failure of the Arusha Accord, and nobody could have predicted some of the unfortunate things which happened.
I thank the Irish people for their support and we will work with them with all the facilities at our disposal. The initial response to the decision to second public servants to Rwanda was overwhelming. As Deputy Kenny said, obviously there is a necessity for people with an expertise in particular areas and, unfortunately, some of the people who make themselves available do not have the required skills. The response from the public service and the military authorities, in terms of the contingents which have been sent to Rwanda, has been phenomenal. We will do everything possible to honour our international obligations. It is very important during the process of reconstructing Rwanda and its society — it will take a long time to get away from the appalling genocide and crimes — for the international community to take every possible step to ensure that we do not witness another Rwandan crisis during our lifetime.
I thank the Minister and Deputy Kenny for the tributes they paid me. Is the Minister aware of the total breakdown in civil society in Rwanda and the urgent need for assistance to be given to the Government to rebuild the educational, health and justice systems? There are no local authorities or police force in Rwanda. Will he consider extending the six month rule in regard to public and civil servants he introduced during the emergency so that they can continue their work in a more constructive way after the emergency, help to rebuild that society and avoid further tragedy? Will he today raise with the office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights the scandal whereby the request to send 200 peace monitors to Rwanda at the beginning of June has not been answered? There are only 20 to 30 peace monitors in Rwanda at present and this is preventing the safe repatriation of many refugees.
I am aware of the devastation in Rwanda and the absence of any normality in that society. Following the visit to Rwanda by the President and the Minister of State we will reassess our attitude to Rwanda, which to date has been very flexible, and look at the role played by the public servants on the original mission. We have had much discussion with the NGOs working on the ground. Obviously I share the Deputy's concerns in regard to the number of peace monitors in Rwanda — I think the present number is 30 — and I will raise the matter with the United Nations.
Does the Minister agree it is necessary for the international community to ensure that the ringleaders of the groups which committed the awful crimes in Rwanda are brought to trial? Does he accept the need for an international tribunal or similar institution based in Rwanda before which the ringleaders can be tried and given their just desserts? If we let pass the slaughter of approximately one million people and the other awful crimes which have been committed, some of which were referred to by Deputy Kenny, it will amount to an encouragement to similarly minded people in other countries to engage in such activities. Does the Minister accept that we have a duty to press at international level, UN level etc., for the establishment of such a tribunal? If we fail to do this, Rwanda will become like Burundi.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by the Deputy. During my address to the United Nations General Assembly in September I said it was a priority of the Irish Government that there should be an international tribunal along the lines of the tribunal established for the former Yugoslavia so that those accused of genocide and the other grave violations of the humanitarian laws referred to by Deputy Kenny can be brought to justice. We should have a permanent world court so that those who get involved in situations like Rwanda and Yugoslavia know that they have to be brought to book. That is lacking in the international legal system and we should all work towards achieving it. Obviously, there is no point in having it unless it has the capacity and the effectiveness to do the task we set out to do but we should move in that direction.
Given that all the senior civil servants in Rwanda have been killed and that the Government's request is for people with expertise, be they graduates or technicians, is there some method by which our Government could ensure that some qualified people from Ireland who may want to work in a country such as Rwanda would be given that facility? Without wishing to take from the massive human and voluntary effort by the aid agencies who participate in times of emergency such as this, is the Minister satisfied that there is a cohesive and co-ordinated approach from Irish aid agencies to deliver effectively the most human answer to the tragedy that befell Rwanda? In some instances co-ordination is not evident in the workings on the ground.
The Government would wish to do everything possible to facilitate graduates and qualified personnel with the skills required on the ground to get involved in the whole process. In regard to the delivery of humanitarian services, the NGOs here have a record which is second to none. We may not have the same spending power as organisations in other countries. I pay tribute to the Irish people for the funding of those resources. We are fulfilling our commitment to development aid under the Programme for Government. We want to get back up to the 0.7 per cent of GDP and we are well on the way to doing that. I hope we can continue that effort for the remainder of the lifetime of this Government. The NGOs are doing an excellent job at great personal sacrifice. At times there may be an element of competition but that is not of any consequence. We take the opportunity on a regular basis to have discussions with them. As late as this morning I met officials from Oxfam who were particularly complimentary of the work being done by the Minister of State and me and of our availability to have discussions and to work with them in terms of the programmes. We will also have discussions with APSO who play an important role in the deployment of personnel.
I too pay tribute to the work of the Irish agencies, Concern, Goal, Trócaire, the Medical Missionaries of Mary, the Irish Refugee Trust and many Irish people attached to bodies such as the UNHCR, Karen Kenny, and so on. Has any effort been made to contact the President of Zaire to bring more pressure to bear regarding what is taking place in the Rwandan refugee camps in Zaire, Goma and Katale where there is clear intimidation of many of the refugees? It must be made clear to the President of Zaire that he cannot condone the rebuilding of the militia within his borders so that they can cause another war inside Rwanda.
The Deputy rightly focuses on a very difficult problem. In the camps in Goma there is intimidation by the extremist Hutu elements to prevent refugees from returning. There are up to 2 million people internally displaced within Rwanda, likewise there are 2 million refugees in Zaire, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda and obviously there will be tension. The European Union has been in contact on a regular basis with the Presidency in Zaire. We will assess the report made available in the wake of President Robinson's visit. I have no difficulty in having discussions with the Fine Gael spokesperson or other spokespersons. All contributions which help to resolve the difficulties are welcome.
