Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am following up on that. I wish to relate it specifically to a point made by the Tánaiste on his engagement with Bill Gates today. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is involved in measures involving the euphemisms to which I referred. Sometimes in the western world we are inclined to impose values. We have significant challenges such as crime levels, including murder, drug addiction and suicide. I am concerned about imposing western values on Asian or African countries. I urge that we would be careful in our policies and the approach we take and with whom we align ourselves. It is not just all about money. There should be an ethical and moral underpinning of the policies we pursue.

I compliment the Tánaiste – a former active member of Parliamentarians for Global Action, PGA, in the House – on the support he and the Government have given, and in particular our representatives in the UN, to the negotiations on the arms trade treaty, ATT. It is imperative that the treaty is concluded and agreed in the March meetings. I give the Tánaiste every encouragement although I am aware that he does not need it as he is motivated to deal with it himself. I like the suggestion that it would be possible to include ammunition as part of the ATT. That would be a welcome development because much of what is happening in the arms trade is ending up in the hands of people who use it for the most foul of human rights violations, in some countries often even against their own people. I applaud the Tánaiste in that regard.

I wish to endorse a point made by Deputy O’Sullivan on Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is good to see that we are actively pursuing countries, in particular in the Balkans where Europe failed so miserably to deal with issues there 20 years ago. I am pleased that we are now working to get those countries to become part of the European Union. Bosnia has to some extent been left behind. I accept there are political and other difficulties in the country, but the accession of Croatia will have economic consequences for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The High Representative, Mr. Inzko, when he addressed the UN Security Council recently, said Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot afford to continue falling further and further behind other countries in the region. He said the consequences of that would be dire economically, socially and politically. Mr. Paddy Ashdown, who was the first High Representative, who did so much in the early stages of the peace process there is on record as saying that the policy of the international community in recent years has been utterly disastrous. He said Europe absent-mindedly found itself being the instrument for the realisation of the plans of Karadzic. I ask that we would give some leadership during our Presidency to try to make progress on Bosnia and Herzegovina that I hope would lead to a situation where it too can be a suitable candidate for joining the EU in the not-too-distant future.