Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Syrian Conflict

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 February 2019

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

Ceisteanna (134)

Niall Collins

Ceist:

134. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the conflict in Syria; the efforts being made at EU and international level to bring a political resolution to the conflict; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6808/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Syria conflict, which will have lasted eight years next month, has cost the lives of well over 400,000 people. Over 13 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, over 6 million people are displaced internally, and a further 5.6 million have fled to neighbouring countries and the wider region. The Assad regime and its allies have repeatedly targeted civilians, through deliberate attacks, including chemical attacks, on civilian infrastructure such as homes, hospitals and schools, the use of “starve or surrender” techniques and the denial of humanitarian assistance, and forced displacement in the interest of demographic engineering. Other groups, most notably ISIS, have also perpetrated atrocities.

The situation in Syria remains grave, and there are particular fears with regards to the situation in Idleb, where conflict between the regime and opposition groups is continuing and could escalate; and in north-east Syria, where tensions between Kurdish groups and Turkey are rising. ISIS has yet to be fully defeated, and vigilance is needed to ensure that it does not re-emerge. I remain deeply concerned about the wellbeing of the Syrian people, both those inside Syria, including those who continue to suffer under an oppressive and murderous Government, as well as those in neighbouring countries, who are watching anxiously to see whether conditions will develop which will allow them to return home. Humanitarian needs remain extensive, and a major donor conference will take place in Brussels next month to discuss how these can be addressed.

Those with influence on the Syrian regime have a responsibility to exert pressure to ensure that civilians are protected, and to encourage the Syrian Government to engage fully with the UN-led peace process.

Ireland and the EU firmly believe that nearly eight years of war have shown that military action cannot bring lasting peace to Syria. We strongly support the UN-led efforts to bring about a political resolution to the conflict, in accordance with the 2012 Geneva Communiqué and UN Security Council Resolution 2254. These parameters make it clear that this needs to be a Syrian-owned and Syrian-led process. The EU provides direct assistance to the Geneva peace talks and has launched, in coordination with the UN, an initiative to develop political dialogue with key actors from the region to identify common ground.

The UN Special Envoy’s efforts are currently focused on establishing a constitutional committee, made up of Syrians of different political views, to chart the way forward for the country. The UN Special Envoy has been engaging directly with Russia, Turkey and Iran on this, and we believe that they have a responsibility to support and assist his efforts.

EU Foreign Ministers met with former UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, in the margins of the 2018 UN General Assembly, and the EU will continue engagement with the new UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen, who took up his position at the end of 2018. At the recent EU-League of Arab States Ministerial meeting on 4 February, I raised the ongoing conflict in Syria with my EU and Arab counterparts. The tragedy in Syria will remain on the agenda for EU Foreign Ministers, and the Brussels conference next month will give the EU an opportunity to set out our plans to support the Syrian people.

Ireland is a strong and consistent donor to the Syria crisis response and our overall funding supports those in need inside Syria as well as Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in the region, including Jordan. At the 2018 Brussels Donor conference, Ireland pledged to contribute a further €25 million in 2018, bringing Ireland’s total humanitarian assistance in response to the Syria crisis to over €116 million since 2012. This is our largest response to any single crisis and a clear indication of our concern for Syria and its people. Through its annual contributions to the EU Institutions, Ireland also supports the EU’s humanitarian response in Syria.

I take this opportunity to reiterate my unreserved condemnation of the violence perpetrated against civilians that has characterised the Syrian conflict to date, most notably by the Government and its allies, and the appalling acts committed by ISIS.

Barr
Roinn