I remind members and those in the Gallery to ensure their mobile phones are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference with the recording equipment in committee rooms even if on silent mode.
Business of Joint Committee.
Deputy Michael D. Higgins indicated to me that because he is involved in a debate in the Dáil he probably will not be able to attend. Perhaps his apologies should be recorded.
I understand that Deputy Michael D. Higgins will attend the meeting if he can and I will note what Senator Norris stated.
The minutes of the meeting of 12 December 2007 were circulated. Are there any matters arising? No. There being no matters arising are the minutes agreed? Agreed.
Before proceeding to the main item on our agenda, I wish to draw the attention of the committee to the news that on Monday, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced he would grant a pardon to a young Saudi woman who was the victim of a most appalling rape. It will be recalled that at our meeting of 21 November 2007 members expressed their shock at the news which had just broken that a court in Saudi Arabia had increased the sentence on this young woman from 99 lashes to 200 lashes with six months in jail because she raised her case in public.
Following the suggestion of members at that meeting, I immediately wrote on behalf of the committee to the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Ireland, based in London, conveying the committee's strongest condemnation of the court's decision. In my letter, I asked that our views be conveyed to the authorities in Riyadh.
I am aware our protest at the court's decision was but one of a large outpouring of protests from around the world as what was rightly seen as a grave abuse of the human rights of this young woman. Nonetheless, I hope the protest from the committee contributed in some small way in bringing about the pardon announced on Monday by King Abdullah. I am sure members will join me in welcoming this positive development.
I welcome this development and would like to think the letter from this committee went in some small way towards assisting in the change of opinion.
It was timely that we acted in the way we did but this is just a fire brigade action and does not deal with the underlying principle. It is a public relations exercise to demonstrate the magnanimity of the Saudi Arabian ruler but fails to address the heart of the matter, namely that these persons should not be treated in this manner. The situation continues in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. A number of us have drawn the committee's attention to the appalling record of human rights abuses in countries such as Iran. It is not good enough to let the authorities away with a public relations exercise while leaving the underlying principle untouched. They will continue to behave in this way by mistreating and abusing their citizens. It was disgraceful that the woman was condemned in the first place when it should have been her attackers who were blamed. It is an outrageous business and I hope no letter of thanks or congratulations will issue from this committee. If we do write, we should express our hope that the principle of injustice underlying these situations will at last be addressed in their societies.
The next matter on the agenda is Ireland's pledge of €40 million to help the Palestinians. On a separate issue, the committee might join me in conveying our congratulations to our former colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Michael Kitt, who is now responsible for Ireland's overseas development programme. He announced yesterday at the international donors' conference in Paris that Ireland would pledge €40 million over the next three to four years to help Palestinians in their development efforts. These funds will help the Palestinian Authority as it builds institutions of democracy and encourages sustainable economic development, as well as provide vital social services to the Palestinian people, particularly the poorest sections of society.