John Bruton
Ceist:19 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting in Dublin with the East Timorese leader, Mr. Xanana Gusmao; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19526/99]
Written Answers. - Official Engagements.
John Bruton
Ceist:20 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the recent letter he has received from President Clinton. [19527/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:21 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the preparatory meetings he will have in Ireland before travelling to Kosovo in November 1999; the schedule of events he will undertake there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19528/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:22 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach when the Ministers and Secretaries Group last met; the plans, if any, it has for meetings between now and the end of 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19530/99]
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Ceist:23 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the leader of the East Timorese people, Mr. Xanana Gusmao; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19642/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:24 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the preparatory meetings he will have in Ireland before he attends the special European Council meeting on 15 and 16 October 1999 in Tampere, Finland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19700/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:25 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the number of times the Cabinet Committee on European Affairs has met in 1999; the number of meetings planned before the end of 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19701/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:26 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the preparatory meetings he will have in Ireland before he visits Hungary and Slovenia in early November 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19702/99]
John Bruton
Ceist:27 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the preparatory meetings he will have in Ireland before he attends the OSCE Summit on 18 and 19 November 1999 in Istanbul; if he has received an agenda for the summit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19703/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:28 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on his meeting on 4 October 1999 with the East Timor leader, Mr. Xanana Gusmao. [19755/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 to 28, inclusive, together.
The Ministers and Secretaries General Group last met on 8 December last year. The Government established a Cabinet Committee on Agenda 2000 in January, which I chaired. This was supported by an expert technical group, which I also chaired, and which met nine times in the run up to the conclusion of the Agenda 2000 negotiations at the Berlin European Council in March. In May, following the completion of the Agenda 2000 negotiations, the Cabinet Committee on European Affairs was established. It has met twice, most recently yesterday in preparation for the Tampere European Council and will meet again in mid-November and early-December. It will meet as required as key issues arise on the EU Agenda and in preparation for European Councils.
By way of preparation for the Tampere Summit, I had a preparatory meeting with senior officials on 28 September for my meeting with PM Lipponen of Finland on 29 September. In advance of my visit to Hungary, Slovenia and Kosovo, I will meet on 29 October with the relevant officials from my own Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and with members of the Defence Forces who are responsible for the visit. My Department has been in constant contact with the relevant Departments, embassies and the Defence Forces in relation to my visit for a number of months. While in Kosovo, I intend visiting the Irish Contingent in KFOR and I hope to meet with senior representatives from KFOR, the UN and the OSCE.
I met the East Timorese leaders Mr. Xanana Gusmao and Mr. José Ramos Horta at Government Buildings on 4 October 1999. During our meeting, Mr. Gusmao expressed appreciation for Ireland's support during the recent electoral process, for subsequent actions within the EU and at the United Nations, and, in particular, for the convening of the recent special session of the UN Commission for Human Rights. With the Irish Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva in the Chair, that session adopted a resolution which will allow a meaningful investigation of human rights violations to be carried out. The UN Secretary General has since asked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, to proceed at once with the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry and for it to report by the end of this year.
Mr. Gusmao drew attention, in particular, to the plight of displaced persons who wish to return to East Timor but are being prevented from doing so. He wants the international community to do more to help these people to return as this would speed the reconstruction and repopulation of the towns and villages of East Timor. He also pointed out that it would ultimately save the international community money to have the displaced people back in their own communities.
Mr. Gusmao asked me to keep the issue of East Timor to the forefront of the international agenda. To this end, I wrote to President Clinton on 7 October 1999, and I intend to raise the matter at the Special European Council in Tampere this weekend. President Clinton had written to me on 4 October, and in this letter, he said that Ireland's voice had played an important role in mobilising the international community in the wake of the recent tragic events and he thanked me for the leading role which Ireland had played in supporting the people of East Timor during the current crisis.
I will attend the summit of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which will take place in Istanbul on 18 and 19 November. Preparations for the summit are ongoing. A review conference, covering a wide range of activities within the OSCE, was recently adjourned in Vienna and will resume in Istanbul on 8 November. A preparatory conference which will address issues for the summit in a detailed manner will commence in Istanbul on 11 November.
Ireland is liaising closely with EU partners and with the wider OSCE membership in preparation for the summit. I have also availed of bilateral meetings to discuss OSCE issues, most recently during my visit last month to Russia. While a definitive agenda has not yet been finalised for the summit, the main issues for discussion are likely to be the possible adoption of a Charter on European Security for the 21st Century; adoption of a political declaration covering a number of ongoing conflict situations in the OSCE area, for instance in the western Balkans and enhancing the role of the OSCE in the promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.