I thank the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for attending the House to reply to this urgent matter. Will he respond immediately to the request by African leaders at their summit yesterday for the rapid deployment of a neutral force in eastern Zaire to help the 1.2 million refugees who now face famine?
This is a significant development. The African leaders indicate that they do not have the capacity to put together a peace keeping force. The establishment of a humanitarian corridor is required in eastern Zaire to provide sanctuary for the refugees. This can only be done if a political, military and humanitarian operation is now launched by the EU and the UN. A ceasefire is now in place and the three largest humanitarian organisations, the UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Medecins San Frontiers, together with some of our own organisations in the area and the EU Commissioner, Emma Bonino, whom I know to be a very committed humanitarian, have called for a military intervention.
A multinational peacekeeping force should be immediately deployed along the Zaire-Rwandan border and the EU should be centrally involved in such a mission. Ireland has a distinguished reputation for supporting human rights internationally, and is respected throughout the world as an honest broker. However, the response of the Government to this crisis is less than satisfactory. At this critical time we are well placed to give real leadership to the EU, but sadly we have not done so. Some of our EU partners, such as France, want intervention, however, Rwanda's Tutsi army does not consider France to be neutral.
Who is giving leadership to the EU? Sadly it is not Ireland. Will the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs initiate an EU and political and military intervention in this crisis and co-ordinate it under the umbrella of the UN? Ireland should indicate its willingness to participate in such a mission. Will he lead a troika of EU Ministers to the region, and include Kigali, Zaire, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania. The message from the troika should be that the EU will assist now.
The EU needs to be present in the region. The Irish Presidency of the EU should co-ordinate those African countries that can get involved in military peace keeping. The South African President, Nelson Mandela, has said the EU can count on his Government responding positively to any initiative. In addition, the EU should contact President Clinton to seek US logistical support and involvement in the peace effort. The involvement of the US is critical.
Approximately 1.2 million refugees face hunger, disease and death unless immediate action is taken. They must be rescued. The task of saving them cannot be left merely to an EU special envoy. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs must now face up to his responsibility as President of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers and immediately co-ordinate a major EU political, military and humanitarian operation in the Great Lakes region of Africa. This means leading the EU Foreign Ministers to the area.
The Tánaiste rightly referred to the need for EU involvement in the Middle East. We heard speculation about whether we should go to Orient House. While that would be admirable, our greatest priority should be to place an EU presence in the region because we are talking about saving hundreds of thousands of lives.