John Bruton
Ceist:2 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent visit to Russia. [17436/99]
Ceisteanna – Questions. - Official Engagements.
John Bruton
Ceist:3 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach his planned official visits abroad between 29 September 1999 and the end of 1999. [17449/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:4 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the written communications, if any, he has had in the past three months with the President of the European Commission. [17450/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:5 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the invitations he has extended to Heads of Government or of State to visit him in Ireland between 29 September 1999 and the end of 1999. [17451/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:6 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 1 of 17 December 1997, he will make a statement on the activities of his Department in recent months to make an effective Irish input to the work of the European Council on major issues on the EU agenda. [17455/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:7 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if an agenda has been agreed for the special meeting in Finland next month of EU Heads of Government to discuss internal security issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17456/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:8 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the issues other than those relating to Northern Ireland which he has raised in his recent meetings and telephone discussions with the British Prime Minister, Mr. Blair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17409/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:9 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach when he next plans to meet the President of the EU Commission, Mr. Romano Prodi; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17741/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:10 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach the outcome of his recent official visit to Russia; the results of his meetings with political and business leaders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17748/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:11 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will list the official engagements he undertook on his recent visit to Russia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17757/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:12 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach if, during his recent visit to Russia, he sought the support of the Russian government for Ireland's campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council; if so, the response, if any, he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17760/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:13 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach the main provisions of the bilateral agreement to fight crime and drugs trafficking which he signed with the Russian Prime Minister, Mr. Putin, during his recent official visit to Russia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17761/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:14 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on his meeting with the Palestinian leader, Mr. Yasser Arafat; the matters discussed; and the conclusions reached. [17914/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:15 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach his priorities for the meeting of the European Council on 15 and 16 October 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17915/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:16 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting in Shannon with the Leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Yasser Arafat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18137/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:17 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach the official visits abroad he will make before the end of 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18903/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 to 17, inclusive, together.
I visited Russia from 14 to 16 September on the first official bilateral visit by a Taoiseach. My visit had two main objectives: to strengthen bilateral political relations between our two countries and to promote Irish exports and business contacts in Russia. The visit was highly successful in both respects.
Unfortunately, my visit to Russia coincided with the terrorist atrocities which resulted in such a large loss of life in the Moscow area and elsewhere in Russia. I took the opportunity of my visit to convey the condolences of the Irish Government and people on these attacks.
As regards the political element of my visit to Russia, I met Prime Minister Putin on Wednesday, 15 September. I also met Governor Mukha of Novosibirsk. On Thursday, 16 September, I met Mr. Seleznyov, Speaker of the Duma, Mr. Luzhkov, Mayor of Moscow, Mr. Stroyev, Chairman of the Federation Council, Mr. Yakovlev, Governor of St. Petersburg and Former Prime Minister Primakov. In addition to these meetings, I had a series of trade related meetings with the accompanying business delegation and their Russian business contacts. I was accompanied during my visit to Russia by a large delegation representing 28 Irish companies, drawn from the software, telecommunications, educational services and agri-food sectors. I also met members of the Irish business and expatriate community in Russia.
I discussed a wide range of issues during my meeting with Prime Minister Putin on 15 September, including the economic progress Russia has been making, the growing political and economic relations between our two countries, EU-Russia relations, Ireland's forthcoming Presidency of the Council of Europe and the Northern Ireland Peace Process. I also raised the continued purchase of Irish beef by Russia. The Prime Minister assured me that the Russian veterinary authorities will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.
We discussed East Timor and the question of an urgent and appropriate response from the international community. Prime Minister Putin also highlighted the potential difficulties ahead for the 150,000 refugees from Kosovo and Eastern Slavonia currently in Serbia as winter approaches.
Following our meeting, Prime Minister Putin and I signed Agreements on Co-operation in Combating Illegal Drug Trafficking and Fighting Crime. The agreements essentially provide for co-operation, information exchange and expertise sharing. I understand the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will submit them to the House shortly for approval. The Prime Minister and I also issued a joint statement on bilateral co-operation in the field of management training for Russians.
As Deputies are aware, Ireland is seeking election to non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council next year for the term 2001-2002. I am heartened by the broad support which our candidacy has been attracting among many UN member states. Russia as a permanent member of the Security Council does not declare its position until the vote takes place. However, I was encouraged by the approach of Prime Minister Putin to this matter who noted the close coincidence in approach between our two countries towards many international issues.
I met President Arafat at Shannon on 21 September. He arrived in Shannon from Cairo and he briefed me on his meeting there with President Mubarak. We discussed the outlook for the Final Status Negotiations, which were launched on 14 September. He also briefed me on the recently concluded Sharm-El-Sheikh Memorandum which restarted the implementation of the Wye Agreement and assured me that Palestinian commitments would be complied with in full. The President expressed his thanks for the support of the EU in relation to Sharm-El-Sheikh and for the Middle East Peace Process in general. We had a discussion about settlements and he briefed me on progress on the Lebanese and Syrian tracks of the Middle East Peace Process. I was pleased to learn from him that there has been some progress towards the construction of a port in Gaza. We also discussed bilateral relations between Ireland and the Palestinian Authority, including the opening of our representative office in Ramallah, which we intend will take place before the end of the year.
I will attend the Special European Council on Justice and Home Affairs in Tampere, Finland on 15 and 16 October. I will meet President Prodi who will also be attending the summit. Prime Minister Lipponen of Finland wrote to me on 27 September, setting out the draft agenda for the meeting. It is structured around three themes – immigration and asylum policy, a European judicial area, including improving citizens access to justice, and the fight against organised crime. I met with Prime Minister Lipponen on Wednesday last, 29 September, as part of his tour of capitals in advance of the special European Council. We discussed the draft agenda for Tampere and Ireland's priorities in the justice and home affairs area.
My Department is in constant contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and our embassies abroad in relation to developments on the EU agenda. As I outlined to the House previously, I have established a Cabinet committee, which I chair, to co-ordinate EU business. Its core members are the Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General. Other Ministers attend, as appropriate, on particular issues. The forum allows for the required focus to be given to important issues which are arising on the EU agenda. The committee's next meeting will take place immediately in advance of the Tampere European Council.
In addition to informal telephone contacts, it is increasingly the case that on the eve of each European Council I meet with Prime Minister Blair to discuss both developments in Northern Ireland and the issues on the agenda of the relevant Council. Most recently I met him in advance of the Cologne European Council and I plan to meet him again on the evening before the Tampere European Council.
In relation to my future travel programme, I hope to visit Hungary, Slovenia and our Defence Force personnel serving with KFOR in Kosovo from 2 to 4 November. I will also be attending an OSCE summit of Heads of State and Government in Istanbul on 18 and 19 November and the European Council in Helsinki on 10 and 11 December. During my bilateral visits, I have extended invitations to all my counterparts to pay reciprocal visits to Ireland.
Accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I met with the East Timorese leader, Xanana Gusmao, and his colleague, José Ramos Horta, yesterday. We had a useful discussion about the current situation in East Timor, the work of the UN International Commission of Inquiry, headed by Mrs. Mary Robinson, and the humanitarian and political support which is still required. There are no other inward visits by Heads of State or Government in my diary for this year.
While I have not written to President Prodi in the last three months, he has written to me on the occasion of the investiture of the new Commission.
Arising from the Taoiseach's reply, may I ask if he raised with the Russian Government the question of Chechnya, in particular the bombing there and the attempt to bring about a cordon sanitaire, rather like the Israelis have in the Lebanon? What view did the Taoiseach take of that in his discussions with the Russian leaders? Will the Taoiseach confirm that representatives of the Goodman group were among the agri-business and food representatives who accompanied him?
I discussed the situation in Chechnya, Dagestan and the surrounding regions at length with Mr. Putin. The bombing, of course, had not commenced at that stage. The bombings occurred in Russia during the week I was in Moscow. I met people from different parties and groupings, both in the Administration and the opposition. There was a united view that the bombings were connected with Chechnya. The view was that the authorities would have to do something. They explained to me the difficulties of what was happening in Chechnya. It has a population of 2.1 million people and 42 different communities, practically every one of which has sub-groups as well. They emphasised the difficulties in enforcing any kind of order there, but it was quite clear that they would endeavour to do so. They also stressed that the difficulties emanating from Chechnya were creating problems for them in Dagestan. They all emphasised the barbarity perpetrated against the people in the region, particularly in Dagestan, where there had been fairly horrific events that week. While no action had taken place at that stage, it was quite clear that they did intend to do something.
As regards the Deputy's second question, the answer is yes. At least one representative of the Goodman meat company was on the delegation. They are the biggest exporter of beef to Russia at present and one of the company's representatives attended the meetings.
How were the 28 Irish companies selected? Does the Taoiseach believe it was particularly diplomatic to include in that group a company that had been fined in this jurisdiction for the export of substandard meat to Russia under the European Union intervention programme?
The State agencies decide on the groups, I have no input in that regard. Enterprise Ireland co-ordinated the selection process. The Goodman group – I cannot recall its official name—
AIBP.
At the time it was apprehended in Rathkeale it was known as AIBP.
That group is deeply involved in the Russian market, it is the largest exporter of beef to that country. The meetings I held and my involvement in this matter created no embarrassment for me.
The Taoiseach states that he had no involvement, which is quite extraordinary. However, accepting his word that he had no involvement in the selection of these 28 representatives of Irish business, did anyone in his Department or in the Department of Foreign Affairs raise questions about whether difficulties might occur in respect of representatives of this company going on that particular visit, the first of its kind?
Nobody raised it and there was no difficulty. Normally on these trade missions the statutory agencies inform the companies they believe would be interested in sending representatives that there is a trade mission and those companies then indicate their interest. In this instance the company involved probably exports more to Russia than most of the other companies involved. I had no difficulty about or objection to its involvement, nor did that involvement create any problems.
Before the Taoiseach departed for Russia, was it brought to his attention that in the 1980s, under the EU aid scheme, green beef – by that I do not mean Irish beef – was exported by this company to Russia? Was it calculated to serve the best interests of the State to include in the deputation led by the Prime Minister of this country to Russia a person representing that company? Was this matter raised with the Taoiseach by the Russian authorities?
No, it was not raised with me. However, it is clear that the company concerned is very highly thought of and well known within the political and business spheres in Russia. Most of the key political players I met, including the governor of St. Petersburg, the mayor of Moscow and others, are familiar with the company. The mayor of Moscow imports an enormous amount of beef because he has responsibility for food supply in Moscow, which is a very big city, and the company in question is well known to him. As opposed to any critical remarks being made, many favourable remarks were made.
We will have to wait until the establishment of the Russian tribunals.
Is it correct that the process of decision making in selecting 28 participating companies had nothing to do with the Taoiseach's office, that he was not consulted but was merely informed which ones had been selected, and that nobody in the Department of Foreign Affairs raised the possibility that there might have been a diplomatic difficulty, bearing in mind the past activities of the company in question?
Absolutely not. I was in the business of helping Irish companies to trade and do business. Whatever parochial views we may hold, they are not shared in the world at large.
With regard to the special summit on Third Pillar issues which will be held on 15 and 16 October, what attitude does the Taoiseach intend to take in respect of the Schengen Agreement and the issue of the free travel area versus the Schengen area? Does he agree it is incredible that Irish citizens travelling within the European Union must continue to show their passports while Icelandic or Norwegian citizens can, through the Schengen Agreement, gain access to the European Union without doing so? Does the Taoiseach intend to raise this issue? In relation to the question on the development of the EU agenda, with the appointment of Javier Solana as Minister of CFSP, does the Taoiseach agree it is clear the security and defence policy, and perhaps even defence issues, will be more firmly on the agenda? Has the Taoiseach considered seeking the inclusion of the commitment under Article 5 of the Western European Union as a protocol rather than as a full treaty commitment in any future evolution of the European Union or merger of the European Union and the Western European Union?
To deal with the second matter first, on the question of Mr. Solana and the fact that he has received the support of about ten countries for the Western European Union, I am sure that matter will be addressed in some form during the Council. The neutral countries have continued to indicate their lack of support for this. The question raised by Deputy Mitchell will become a major issue of the French Presidency. These matters may not be discussed at the next Intergovernmental Conference but they certainly will be discussed during the year 2000 and examination of them will be complete by the end of the French Presidency in December 2000. The French are pushing the agenda very much in line with what Deputy Mitchell stated. They want to see major change in the whole security operation; I think that will take some time to come through. As the Deputy is aware, we have taken the view that if the Western European Union integrates over time, that should exclude the Article 5 issues. There have not been any deliberations at this stage – I have not heard it mentioned nor is it in the papers for Tampere – on the Article 5 issues becoming a protocol. There is an active debate about how the other issues can be integrated and about what will happen to Article 5 issues. The view at the Cologne meeting was that the Article 5 issues should stay in the shell of the Western European Union and the Petersberg Tasks of humanitarian and peacekeeping issues would come under the new body. That is where the matter rests as of now, but the Deputy is correct, I do not think it will rest there for long. There is effort on the part of a large group of countries – I believe ten – to ensure Mr. Solana is not only the CFSP host but also that the Western European Union will debate how this is dealt with. I am not sure whether it will be dealt with in Tampere or in Helsinki later in the year.
I do not believe Schengen will come up in any major way but Tampere will be the first opportunity to start making use of the tools which are now at the disposal of the European Council following the Amsterdam Treaty. That allows us to co-operate in areas where it is difficult for individual states to move alone and they will seek ways to co-operate. The issue the Deputy raised may not form part of it but it is an ongoing agenda. If the Deputy is asking for my view, I would support anything that simplifies the system and eliminates unnecessary administrative burdens on people.
On a separate matter, is the Taoiseach aware that in the proposed reorganisation of the Commission – in the senior posts other than those of Commissioner – Ireland does not have a Director General in the most recently published list? Has he raised this matter with President Prodi or did he at any stage instruct the Department of Foreign Affairs to raise this matter? Can we take it that, along with the European Central Bank, we have been relegated to second division in terms of having an Irish person at a top level in the administration of these bodies?
Of course Mr. Prodi's old Chef de Cabinet was Mr. O'Sullivan who is an Irishman—
It is not the same.
It is probably the most powerful position. I do not have the record on this matter from Foreign Affairs but a number of Irish people have come through the system at various levels, not at the level the Deputy stated but in a number of positions. I do not know if the full list has been compiled; with people moving around it may not be completed, but Irish people have done fairly well in those areas and the Department of Foreign Affairs, like everybody else, is conscious of that.
We saw what happened in relation to the European Central Bank. Was action taken in advance of that reshuffle or did it happen without consultation with the Irish authorities?
No. The Department of Foreign Affairs certainly was involved and I discussed these matters with Mr. Prodi earlier. He informed me about Mr. O'Sullivan at that meeting. We have a limited number of people in the Commission, that is true, and it is a pity we do not have more. The people who are there have done rather well in a number of areas and key positions.
I might travel a little further with the Taoiseach on the Third Pillar issue. Is the Taoiseach aware that during the reflection group and the Amsterdam Treaty intergovernmental process the previous Government negotiated and knocked in provisions under the Schengen free travel area, but because of our traditional position with Britain we have no choice but to remain within the common travel area for now? Will the Taoiseach raise at this summit meeting the possibility of Irish citizens being allowed to travel within the European Union on a lesser document than a passport, perhaps a driving licence or a social security document, without the necessity of introducing an identity card system here? This was raised by me and others and I think it would be possible if the Taoiseach were to give it a push. I am anxious that he should raise this matter because Irish citizens are concerned about this. It is absurd that Icelandic and Norwegian citizens have greater ease of access than Irish citizens to the European Union and we have to find ways around that.
In relation to the development of the EU agenda and the Taoiseach's reference to the likelihood of the French Presidency putting the whole question of defence policy more firmly on the agenda, is this why he has had a change of heart on Partnership for Peace, so as to prepare us for participation in these looming tasks?
I do not want to mislead the Deputy. The Schengen Agreement is not on the agenda for Tampere. I note what he has said for the future, but it is asylum and immigration policy, the judicial position of the future, co-ordination of policy. It will not come up on the agenda as drafted.
Was it on the agenda?
It will not come up on the agenda as drafted, but I note what the Deputy has said. I am conscious of what happened before and I understand the opt-out issues. What I am saying regarding the French position is what France is now indicating it will raise during its Presidency, which will be in the second half of next year. It has nothing to do with statements I have made over the past 12 months dealing with Partnership for Peace.
(Dublin West): In the Taoiseach's discussions with Mr. Gusmao of East Timor was the question of this Government's recognition of East Timor as an independent State raised? Why did the Government not take a bold step and formally recognise East Timor as soon as its people voted for independence, especially in view of the history of this country? Was the question of military supplies to Indonesia by Britain and the United States raised? Did the Taoiseach give any undertaking that he would use his close ties with the British Prime Minister and the American President to have the disgusting sale of military hardware and arms to Indonesia ended for all time?
I wish to bring the Taoiseach back to his visit to Russia and the report he gave to the Dáil. He was widely quoted in the media here while he was there as promising every support to the Russian Government against terrorism. On reflection, in view of the fact that the Government and Prime Minister he was dealing with has 5 per cent popular support in the most recent opinion poll, was the Taoiseach wise in the confidence he was investing in that Government? While every right thinking person would obviously absolutely condemn the bombing outrage, is the Taoiseach aware that in the wake of the bombing a major witch hunt was launched against people of Cauca sian origin in Moscow? An indiscriminate witch hunt in which 9,000 were arrested—
Joe Stalin did something similar.
He always had 99 per cent support.
(Dublin West): Stalin deported the entire Chechen nation to Kazakhstan, one of the appalling outrages of the 20th century.
With support from odd places.
(Dublin West): I don't know why the Deputy should raise Stalin in the context of my question to the Minister, although he usually tries to smear me with Stalinism.
Deputy Higgins usually prefers leaders with no popular mandate.
(Dublin West): The Deputy will have to read a little bit about the history of international socialism; he will find I come from an entirely different tradition. To finish my question, the support the Taoiseach was giving Mr. Putin and the Government could be interpreted as supporting these attacks on civil rights. Also, the indiscriminate bombing of Chechen villages has just started again, killing innocent men, women and children. Does the Taoiseach now regret the blanket support he gave the Russian Government, which is, incidentally, alleged to be riddled with corruption apart from being responsible for these infringements of civil rights?
As I said earlier, several hundred people were blown to pieces in their sleep in Moscow by people who were not concerned with humanitarianism. I talked to Prime Minister Putin for three hours. He is in Government but I also spoke to Mr. Luzhkov, Mr. Stroyev and Mr. Primakov, who are the three leaders of the opposition who have come together to fight the elections in December and next summer. Regardless of whom I spoke to, they sought co-operation from countries who could help them in the fight against all kinds of terrorism and they have already received commitments from both the Chief of Staff and the Garda Commissioner to assist them. The ongoing issues will always be taken into account by the Department of Foreign Affairs as time goes on.
As to my meeting with the leaders of East Timor, we discussed those issues. If the Deputy puts down a Question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs about how the international agreements were worked through he will get a reply. What happens in terms of recognition will have to be worked through diplomatically. The reason Mr. Gusmao came here was to thank this country and Irish people, and to ask for our co-operation in continuing to highlight their cause in the UN, on Mrs. Mary Robinson's investigative commission and in Europe. These are issues on which we have close affiliation with the people of East Timor and I think we can assist them. We can keep up the campaign to get their people back from Java and from the camps in West Timor, with the assistance of the various aid agencies, and we will assist in that. I have no difficulty with what the Deputy said about armaments and I share his concern. We shall do all we can to highlight how people abuse arms and how the arms industry uses its power in abusive ways.
On the Taoiseach's pending visit to Kosovo, is he satisfied that the Irish troops there have all the equipment they need? There are reports that the Government may be in the process of purchasing additional heavy equipment for the Army. Is that aimed at improving the equipment available to Irish troops in Kosovo?
I will leave that matter to the Minister for Defence. It is well known that the Army is seeking new equipment. Our soldiers and the unit there have adequate facilities. This morning the Cabinet sanctioned additional troops for East Timor and the increasing demands on the Defence Forces to be in so many locations create huge problems in terms of human and equipment resources. I think the public wants the Army to be involved in such operations but there is a price to be paid and the Army has highlighted that case to the Minister.
In response to the question on the Tampere summit agenda, the Taoiseach said the Schengen arrangements are not for discussion at this summit but asylum matters are. Does the Taoiseach agree that both matters are intrinsically linked given we cannot exercise independence in determining who should come into Ireland because of our agreement with Britain, an issue highlighted when a Japanese national was denied access here because she was denied access to Britain, and that the administration of our dealings with asylum seekers and our independence of action is adversely affected because of the application by immigration officials of the common travel area arrangement with Britain?
It is still retained and will continue to be an issue as regards the opt-out clause, but it will not arise or change in the short-term. The issue in Tampere is to try to adopt a unified approach that will not exclude us or Britain agreeing to the conditions which we are trying to do as regards asylum and immigration issues. The broad context varies from country to country. How people are treated and cared for and understandings between countries are, quite frankly, all over the place and what is being attempted in Tampere is a unified approach. People have worked on this for a long time – it is the first meeting dealing with justice and home affairs issues and only the second time ever a European Council meeting has been dedicated to a single issue. It is an effort to try to achieve some order in this area and the Schengen process will not prevent us in any way from dealing properly and equally with the countries of the EU on the asylum issue.
In advance of the formal conclusion of discussions on a common policy on asylum seekers, will the Taoiseach take an interest in and ensure that asylum seekers or non-nationals visiting this country are treated in a way that complies with our views and regulations and are not automatically excluded simply because they have a stamp in their passports that excludes them from the United Kingdom?
Yes, I will take an interest, but our authorities and welfare system are paying great heed to that. They are under enormous pressure but are doing their utmost to deal with it because of the increased numbers – in August the number involved was more than 1,000 people, in September it was 1,000 people and this weekend it was 300.
One hundred in my constituency last month.
There is enormous pressure. Almost 5,000 people have come into the country this year, probably more than 5,000 as it was almost 5,000 the last time I saw the figures. We are endeavouring as best we can to deal with that by making available resources and I support that.
During the Taoiseach's visit to Russia, did he discuss the fishing industry and fish exports from Ireland to Russia? Did he get a commitment from the Russian Premier that the Russian factory ships would operate again this year for the mackerel fishing season? Did he discuss the fishing industry with the Russian Premier and his Minister in charge of fisheries?
I did not discuss it with the Prime Minister but some of the delegation discussed it. It is an important fish market, including for people supplying equipment and Irish companies doing business there. It is interesting to note the number of Irish companies that do business in these products. We had no discussion on the factory ships issue. I am not aware of what the position is this year on that.
In respect of the meeting the Taoiseach had with Xanana Gusmao from East Timor, did he give any undertaking to provide material help, assistance and development aid to that country which has been ravaged by the pro-Indonesian faction militias and, if so, to what extent and what amount and delivery are we talking about?
It will come in a number of forms. We have already given £1 million. A num ber of agencies are taking their own initiatives. Yesterday he was endeavouring to make progress on trying to get people with the expertise to rebuild the country. The picture he painted in the media over the past 24 hours is of a country that is devastated. Most of the buildings of any benefit to them have been burnt and destroyed. Many of the people who will help to rebuild the country are in Java but they will also need outside help. That is why the agencies are trying to recruit people with expertise, in the same way as they were recruited for places such as Rwanda and elsewhere. The Department of Foreign Affairs is dealing with this area through development rather than financial aid.
While the Taoiseach is encouraging all these efforts, did he pledge additional moneys, other than the £1 million that has already been pledged?
No additional moneys were pledged by me but the State agencies are being assisted by the Department of Foreign Affairs in recruiting people who can help. That is what happened in Rwanda, Kosovo and elsewhere.
Is that sufficient?
Perhaps it is not, but his requests were not for resources but for whatever help we could give the development agencies and for people.
They must be paid to be sent out there and maintained.
They are. We have been generous in recent years in assisting the agencies to send people abroad and we should do so again. We have helped organisations such as GOAL and Crosscare a number of times.
As regards the Palestinian authority and the fact we will have a representative office opened in Ramallah by the end of this year, what will be the status of our special representative there? Will he or she have full ambassadorial status?
That must be decided in line with what other countries are doing. All other countries will put their offices in Ramallah. I am not sure if they will be ambassadors but we will follow the EU norm.