Vol. 514 No. 4
57 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the funds, if any, Ireland has provided to date for humanitarian relief in East Timor; the latest information available on the number of persons still displaced; the additional steps, if any, planned to alleviate suffering, having regard to the severe hardship being faced by many people there and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4324/00]
The Government has provided more than £700,000 in humanitarian assistance to relieve the suffering of the Timorese people. At least a further £1.3 million will be spent in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance this year. In recognition of the importance of human resource development, APSO is committed to making a contribution in this area in collaboration with UN agencies such as the United Nations volunteers.
While it is difficult to know exactly how many refugees remain in West Timor and other parts of Indonesia, the UNHCR estimates the number to be about 120,000. It is also now widely accepted that up to 60,000 of these may not want to return. The pace of returns has slowed with the number of ex-army, police and militia among the returnees increasing. UNHCR reports that although access to the refugees in West Timor has improved, it is not regular, free and unhindered. There are concerns about the conditions in the camps. The international community is working to improve this situation. The United Nations Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, will raise the issue of the refugees at his meeting with the Indonesian President today.
The humanitarian situation in East Timor has stabilised. The main concern now is to provide shelter, basic health and education and to resume agricultural production. The Government is committed to playing its part with the rest of the international community in supporting the people of East Timor to recover from the terrible events of the past and to make a successful transition to full independence. An assessment team visited East Timor in late November last year. Work is currently under way on a strategy which will provide carefully targeted assistance to the people of East Timor in developing their self-reliance and building their new nation. Representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs will travel there again in the very near future to continue consultations with the authorities and agencies on the ground.
58 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's view on the continuing conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea; the initiat ives, if any, the Government is taking or supporting through the EU or the UN to secure an end to the conflict and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4330/00]
The Government remains extremely concerned at the failure to resolve the ongoing conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea and at the continued delay in the implementation of the Organisation of African Unity framework agreement, approved by the OAU Summit in Algiers in July 1999. The Government has conveyed its views about the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities under OAU mediation to both the Ethiopian and Eritrean authorities on every possible occasion. With our EU partners, we continue to urge Ethiopia and Eritrea to end all hostilities and fully implement the OAU framework agreement. We also support the work of the EU Presidency's special representative for the Ethiopia-Eritrea Conflict, Senator Rino Serri, who is actively pursuing the Union's objectives through his direct contacts with the OAU and leading regional figures.
We will continue to support all international efforts, notably those of the OAU and the UN, to vigorously pursue the peace process and to achieve a comprehensive settlement to this futile conflict, the political and economic costs of which neither country can afford. The current situation is destabilising for both countries and for the wider region of East Africa and is having an unacceptable impact on the civilian population.
