Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Crowe asked about the MFF negotiations. We are having discussions with the European Parliament and Commission. I was in Brussels last week and there was an informal meeting with representatives of the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, under the Irish Presidency, on the MFF. We intend to have further discussion at the meeting of the General Affairs Council next week and a further round of discussions with both the Parliament and Commission.

There are major issues we have to overcome, including the Parliament's approach to the MFF itself. Also of concern is the 2013 budget. The budget proposed for development assistance represents an increase on the previous allocation. The figure is not as high as originally proposed by the Commission but, given that the Union, as an institution, and the member states allocate over 50% of all development aid in the world, it is very high. We are working on this and it is a great priority for us. There will be a lot of work. I will be happy to report further on it, probably to the Joint Committee on European Affairs or this one.

Tackling the issues of rape in conflict, violence against women and girls, and gender-based violence is a long-standing priority for Ireland. Rape is a terrible violation of human rights. The issue is raised regularly by us at multilateral fora and directly with states. We provide direct support for tackling the issue through Irish Aid.

The issue of settlements and settlement produce was raised by Deputy Crowe and a number of others. I wrote to this committee last November setting out in detail my view on settlement goods. I support the view that place-of-origin labelling should not allow settlement goods to be misrepresented as coming from Israel or as being Palestinian, as the case may be. My Department has carried informal advice on these lines on its website for some years. I am considering how formal voluntary guidelines might be issued. Ideally it would be at EU level. There is work taking place on this. With a group of colleagues, I recently wrote to Baroness Ashton to welcome her initiative in proposing to produce EU labelling guidelines and to encourage her in that regard. She has written to member states setting out proposals in regard to guidelines that could be applied at EU level. I am involved in consultation with other Departments on how we might address this. Progress is being made on it.

Deputy Crowe asked about the referral of Syria to the International Criminal Court. We have asked the UN Security Council to refer the issue of Syria to the ICC and inform the court to carry out an investigation. We want to put down a strong marker that there will have to be accountability for the slaughter in Syria and the huge abuse of human rights there. I jointly wrote an article with the foreign Ministers of Austria, Denmark and Slovenia pressing for this and it was carried widely in the international media.

On the issue of the May conclusions on the Middle East peace process, the Foreign Affairs Council intends to discuss that process at the May Council meeting. It will review what has happened since the conclusions were drawn up last year. I have been urging this for some time. It has been Ireland's view, which I have consistently argued for at the Foreign Affairs Council, that the EU should be taking a leading role on the Middle East peace process. The EU is in a position to do that and we are less dependent on the electoral cycle than, for example, the United States. The US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, and I had quite a long discussion about ways in which the EU and US can co-operate in the approach we are taking to the Middle East peace process. We can have a more active role by the EU and a more co-ordinated role with the US. As we all know, however, it is a problem that has been intractable for a long time. The important things are the commitment and the political will, which I know exists, to try to address it in a serious and consistent way.

A number of Deputies raised the issue of the rights of gay people, with particular reference to Uganda. The debate on LGBTI rights remains polarised at international level. In some countries, the rights of LGBTI persons are met with outright opposition, in some cases with absolute disdain, sometimes on cultural and religious grounds. Ireland has played its part in promoting those rights.

In June 2011, the UN Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 1719 on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity. That was an historic achievement and the first time the UN had voted to state explicitly that the protection afforded by human rights law applied also to LGBTI persons. Although Ireland was not a member of the Human Rights Council at that time, we were engaged in drafting the resolution and co-sponsoring it.

As part of our EU Presidency we are working to develop new EU guidelines on the rights of LGBTI persons. These guidelines will guide the work of the EU and its member states internationally to promote the rights of LGBTI persons. Our embassies overseas are also active in supporting the work with human rights defenders who are active on the issue. We have also made it a priority for our work on the Human Rights Council.

Specifically with regard to Uganda, when I was there last year, I discussed this matter with the Ugandan Government and directly with President Museveni. I understand that legislation is proposed but it is what we would call Private Members' legislation. At that stage it seemed to be stalled somewhat in the parliamentary process but it is something on which we are keeping an active eye.

Senator Walsh raised the issue of religious freedom and freedom of belief in that context. Ireland has made, and continues to make, freedom of religion and belief a priority issue. In March this year, the EU proposed a successful resolution on freedom of religion and belief at the UN Human Rights Council and Ireland actively supported that. The resolution renewed the mandate of the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief. The EU is also working on new guidelines on freedom of religion and belief to guide efforts internationally.

In respect of our own national position, during our chairmanship of the OSCE last year, we paid particular attention to the issue of freedom of religion and belief. In both our candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council and our work therein, it is a priority for us. In that context, the issue of Coptic Christians and other minority religions in Arab countries is one of great concern. As Deputy Crowe said, we are looking at a situation where the secular approach to governance in some of those countries is being diminished. This matter has been discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council.

In addition, there are a number of issues which we need to examine as tests on this dimension. One is the issue of freedom of religion and belief, and the treatment of minority religions. The second is the position of women in those societies. According to reports we are getting from some countries, while progress is being made on holding elections and related issues of democratisation, there are worrying developments concerning the position of women in those societies. That will be a litmus test for how those societies develop.

Some members of this committee had a meeting with Ms Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, to which Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan referred. Officials from my own Department met with Ms Nabagesera in Iveagh House this morning, along with Mr. Colm O'Gorman and his colleagues from Amnesty International. They had a very useful exchange. Ms Nabagesera and her colleagues also support the approach that the Government and our embassy in Kampala have been taking on the issue.

Deputy Eric Byrne raised the issue of Palestinian Christians. I know that the Chairman of the joint committee, Deputy Pat Breen, met a delegation of Christian leaders from Palestine last Monday. The Middle East unit of my Department also had a long and interesting discussion with them. The central message we took from that meeting was that Palestinian Christians are suffering from the same occupation policies as the wider Palestinian community. They include pressure on individuals and communities as well as a lack of economic opportunity. These are issues on which Ireland has strongly focused and I am conscious of their impact on Christians.

The Magnitsky case was raised by Deputy Byrne and other members of the joint committee. I do not want to comment on communications between the committee and our ambassadors, because that is really a matter for the committee and the embassies concerned.

However, I can tell members that I did raise the case of Sergei Magnitsky at the Foreign Affairs Council and have argued that this is an issue that should remain on the agenda at the highest political level in the European Union's relationship with Russia, including the summit with Russia, which takes place during every Presidency. The decision last month by the investigative committee of the Russian Federation to close the criminal investigation into his death is highly regrettable. I share of the strongly-worded concerns which were expressed by Catherine Ashton on this issue and I call on the Russian authorities to reopen the investigation. I find ghoulish the posthumous trial of Mr. Magnitsky that has been taking place in Moscow. I believe this issue should remain an important element in the European Union's relationship with Russia.

On the issue of Syrian refugees to Ireland that was raised by Senator Norris, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, has had discussions with his German counterpart about this issue. Germany and in particular, my colleague the foreign minister, Mr. Westerwelle, have been particularly active in encouraging European Union member states to accept Syrian refugees. Clearly, this is a matter for the Minister, Deputy Shatter, and his Department and the Senator has the reply to the parliamentary question to which he has referred.

On the issue of Iraq raised by Senator Walsh and a number of colleagues, it would indeed be a tragedy were the genuine progress made by Iraq to be lost. It is hugely important for that region that there is a stable Iraq. I believe there is a need for a more high-level dialogue on the part of the European Union with the Iraqi Government and Prime Minister Maliki. For all its current problems, Iraq has come a long way since 2003. As for what the European Union is doing to assist Iraq, since 2003 more than €1 billion of aid has been provided by the European Union to Iraq. Last year, the European Union's relations with Iraq were formalised in a partnership and co-operation agreement and as I noted earlier, I expect it is an issue we will be addressing at the Foreign Affairs Council next week. While I believe I have covered most of the points, members should let me know if-----