Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief because many of the comments I would make have been made. I pay tribute to the delegates for their presentations and, more significantly, to their colleagues who are working in the field at great personal risk. I think Mr. McQuillan said it was akin to Biafra which was a highly dangerous situation.

I am concerned by the indiscriminate nature of what is happening, in particular the bombings. It is terrible to see young children being put in the firing line and innocent civilians being killed as a consequence of the indiscriminate approach. Civil war can be very difficult. That is very pertinent to an issue raised at this committee previously in regard to the arms trade treaty. Have we written to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and if so, have we received a response in that regard? We asked that he would do everything he could to achieve completion of, and agreement on, that. Full agreement was narrowly prevented by the US, in particular, and by Russia, to a lesser extent, at the negotiations last June.

There was a field mission last year. The Department raised the issue of the peace dividend and the need for some post-war development in the area of schools, health clinics, safe water, infrastructure and so on. If one's life is at risk, and using Maslow's hierarchy of needs, survival is what is important. When one is at that stage, all these other aspects are not the focus. Is anything happening in that area which would give some optimism that stability can be provided?

I formally propose that we run with the recommendations made to us and that we request the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to raise the Sudan situation as an agenda item at the EU Council, that it is pursued during our Presidency of the EU and that he raises it in his capacity of chairman of the OSCE. There is a parliamentary assembly meeting of the OSCE at the end of next week and I will raise it at that.