Proinsias De Rossa
Ceist:35 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his meeting in Dublin in January 1999 with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan. [4365/99]
Written Answers. - Official Engagements.
I had a very useful and constructive meeting with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on 21 January last. We discussed a wide range of issues relating to the activities of the United Nations, including Ireland's contribution in the fields of peacekeeping, development assistance, disarmament and human rights; the current position on UN reform and Security Council reform and on UN financing. We also discussed developments on regional issues including Kosovo, East Timor, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Libya. I briefed the Secretary General on my recent visit to Honduras and on the visit I was about to undertake to Teheran. I also took the opportunity to brief the Secretary General on developments in Northern Ireland and on the current state of the peace process.
The Secretary General was most appreciative of Ireland's contribution to the United Nations across the range of UN activities. I reiterated our ongoing commitment to the organisation and our willingness to continue to contribute to it. I took the opportunity to raise with the Secretary General our concerns about arrears due to Ireland in respect of peacekeeping operations. The Secretary General understood my concern, and indicated that he is working to resolve the situation.
Our discussion on Kosovo took place in the aftermath of the appalling massacre at Racak. We agreed on the need for an urgent investigation of the massacre and the bringing to justice of those responsible. We discussed the prospects for progress towards a peaceful resolution of the Kosovo conflict. We noted the hopeful signs of progress on East Timor, including those relating to the early release of resistance leader Xanana Gusmao. The Secretary General briefed me on recent developments in Africa. We expressed grave concerns, in particular, about the situation in Angola, in Sierra Leone and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Secretary General also informed me of ongoing negotiations relating to the Lockerbie suspects and hoped for early progress towards a trial. On Iraq, we discussed the prospects for progress towards a resolution of the situation, with the commencement of Security Council discussions on the basis of new proposals put forward by France and others.