Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 66: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will outline the preparations for Ireland's chairmanship of the OSCE; when the chairmanship was confirmed; when initial interest in holding the chairmanship was expressed; the length of time that preparations and discussions for the chairmanship have been ongoing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9576/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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On 1 January this year Ireland assumed its year-long chairmanship-in-office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Comprising 56 participating states in Europe, Central Asia and North America, the OSCE is the world's largest intergovernmental regional security organisation, dealing with a range of issues in the areas of democratisation, human rights, arms control and economic and environmental security.

As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I will be the chairperson-in-office for the duration of our chairmanship and will bear overall responsibility for the executive action of the organisation and the co-ordination of its activities. These responsibilities include representing the OSCE in various contexts and supervising activities relating to conflict prevention and post-conflict rehabilitation. I presented our chairmanship priorities to the OSCE's Permanent Council in Vienna on 12 January and have also addressed the United Nations Security Council in my capacity as chairperson-in-office.

Ireland was approached in the course of 2009 by a number of states which expressed interest in Ireland assuming the chairmanship of the OSCE for 2012. That was unanimously agreed at a meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in Athens in December 2009. My officials have been working on preparations for the OSCE chairmanship since the decision was made. To this end, a dedicated OSCE task force was established within my Department in October 2010 to develop the policy framework and practical capacity required for the chairmanship and the diverse range of meetings and conferences in Vienna and elsewhere. This comprises a total of 12 Dublin-based officials, with 14 officials working at Ireland's OSCE mission in Vienna. This total is less than the resources allocated by any other country which recently held the OSCE chairmanship; I am confident, however, that Ireland's chairmanship will involve a highly efficient use of these resources and compare favourably with past chairmanships.

Regular consultations take place with officials from other Departments who will also contribute relevant expertise over the course of Ireland's chairmanship. I am keen to ensure all Departments are in a position to contribute to and gain from our chairmanship. I hope our chairmanship will also be helpful in terms of the Government's economic objectives. To this end the State agencies have also been consulted as part of our preparations.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

As part of last year's preparations, Ireland joined the OSCE troika with the 2011 chair of the organisation, Lithuania, and the previous chair, Kazakhstan. Ireland continues to participate in the troika this year, with Kazakhstan having been replaced by Ukraine, the 2013 chair. Weekly troika meetings take place at OSCE headquarters in Vienna.

Ireland was one of the founding states of the OSCE and we have always recognised the organisation's vital role in maintaining peace and security in Europe. I am honoured to chair the OSCE this year and greatly look forward to using this role to raise the profile of Ireland, thereby contributing to the restoration of our international reputation.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge that the preparations for the chairmanship of the OSCE began in 2009 and that much of the groundwork was done by the previous Administration. It is no harm to say this, given the negative things said in the House from time to time about the diplomatic initiatives taken by the previous Administration.

Can I take it from what the Tánaiste said that the issue of conflict resolution will be at the heart of his chairmanship of the OSCE? What does he envisage will be the lasting legacy of Ireland's chairmanship? We heard an interesting presentation last week at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs at which we were briefed on the efforts of human rights defenders. Does the Tánaiste anticipate being in a position to do something to put human rights defenders at the heart of his chairmanship of the OSCE? Will he give us more information on the conference he proposes to hold on conflict resolution on 27 April? Where will it be held? Who will be the participants and what does he hope the outcome will be?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I am very happy to have the Deputy and his party colleagues share in the achievements of the Government in the area of foreign affairs. I have no difficulty in acknowledging that the agreement that Ireland should take the chair of the OSCE was made in 2009.

The contribution Ireland intends to make on the issue of conflict resolution is to draw on the experience of it in Northern Ireland. What we have in mind is holding a high level conference on 27 April which will be moderated by a former President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, who was very much involved in the Northern Ireland peace process. The idea is to invite representatives of all 56 participating states, in particular the states in which there are protracted conflicts, and those who were involved in the Northern Ireland peace process to contribute to the discussion. The idea is not that the formula found in Northern Ireland is transportable to other conflicts but that people will hear about the patience and persistence which characterised the talks in the Irish peace process and, I hope, draw something from this.

Separately, we are working to progress discussions to resolve the protracted conflicts. In that context, the first meeting as part of the Transnistrian settlement process, the so-called 5+2 talks, will take place in Dublin next week, on 28 and 29 February.

On the human dimension, we are paying particular attention to the concept of freedom of expression and freedom of the media. We will concentrate, in particular, on Internet freedom, in regard to which there are a number of issues that require international discussion. It is our intention to hold a conference in Dublin in June which, again, will involve the 56 participating states and also many of the Internet companies which have their headquarters in Dublin.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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On the Tánaiste's chairing of the OSCE, will he outline his approach to the ongoing difficulties in the Balkans? At a recent meeting Paddy Ashdown provided us with a very interesting analysis of the situation there and outlined his concerns about the situation in Bosnia and Serbia. The issue of Internet freedom is an interesting one, but in terms of the situation in the Balkans, where there is a real danger that the considerable advances made will be undermined and unravel, what are the Tánaiste's plans during his chairmanship of the OSCE?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the OSCE has field offices in respective countries of the Balkans. The good news is that this year the field office in Croatia has been wound down because Croatia is acceding to membership of the European Union, which is a sign of progress. Also, the applications for EU membership made by states in the Balkans present an issue. The Minister of State, Deputy Lucinda Creighton, and I see an opportunity in that respect in that our role in chairing the OSCE and the role we will play in the discussions on accession will be complementary. We are, therefore, taking a very active interest in this issue, coming at it from two ends, our chairmanship of the OSCE and our role within the European Union in the discussions on the accession of states in the Balkans.