Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A small delegation of this committee will travel to Geneva next month to the UN Human Rights Council and I am sure the issue will be raised. Mr. King's comments are interesting. The rebels marched into Goma last Tuesday and took over the city of 1 million people while 1,500 peacekeepers watched idly. If they had interfered, it would probably have caused more bloodshed in the region and they want to avoid that. In answering the members' questions, will the witness comment on the role of the UN in areas like this, particularly as the UN Security Council has today announced further sanctions on the rebels? How can those sanctions have an effect? The matter seems to be out of control. We are focused on Gaza and the Middle East and this has led to the world's media ignoring Congo. Will the witnesses comment on the role of the UN in this case? Will they comment on the role of President Kabila in the aftermath of last November's elections? What has he done to give rise to the present conditions?

We have a good attendance and many people would like to ask questions. Will members keep their contributions brief and ask questions in their interaction with witnesses?