Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I am examining the role of the organisation in respect of human rights. The ambassador referred to working on reform in terms of crisis response and crisis management structures. Will it apply where there are significant abuses of human rights? As the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, we have presentations, meetings and briefings with a number of countries and agencies concerned with human rights issues. Today, three of us had a meeting on the appalling situation in Bahrain, where doctors are prevented from treating injured people because they were protesting. Other meetings concern what happened in Syria. It is all very well having human rights principles but we do not have the action to follow from the principles. Is there a major role for the EEAS in that respect? What power will it have to intervene in those horrific situations? I am struck by the irony of certain countries sitting on human rights commissions and committees when such countries are to the fore in human rights concerns.