Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It does to some extent, but are there difficulties with some countries' regimes? Is the Joint Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce propping up those regimes by getting involved in trade with them, or are they being opened up to the idea or prospect of greater democracy, including human rights, in the region by continuing that trade? That is one of the difficulties involved in trading with some of those countries. For instance, the Iranian ambassador, when he attended this committee, spoke about the ban being lifted there. There does not seem to be any credible reason Irish beef should not be exported around the world, but are they live exports? I know there have been difficulties in the past with that aspect, including how the animals are killed. Much of the beef in Iran is currently coming from South American countries, but Irish middle-men are bringing it in. Is there a problem with the financial embargo on trade with Iran? We all accept there is huge potential but we need to find out what to do as a country in that regard. Mr. Maguire mentioned ambassadors, but is there more involved than that? What simple steps could be taken to try to open up that region?