Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for his comprehensive report. I commend him and his officials, as well as the rest of the Government, on the work done during the EU Presidency. Yesterday, I heard the Romanian ambassador openly praise the work of the Irish EU Presidency.

There were attempts several years ago by an Irish diplomat to open talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan. I read recently that the Americans are now interested in engaging in discussions with the Taliban which has resulted in talks between the Americans and the Afghan Government being scuppered. Does Ireland or the EU have a position on initiating discussions with the Taliban with the view to securing a long-term, stable independent Afghanistan?

Two years ago the committee heard from Paddy Ashdown, the former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. He pleaded with us that the peace efforts there were going down the drain and that it was not developing the way the European Union claimed. At a recent meeting in Dublin Castle, the current high representative, Mr. Valentin Inzko, conceded to me that they had made mistakes and that they had expected progress with the Croats and the Serbs moving towards European Union membership but it did not materialise. Does Ireland have a position on Bosnia-Herzegovina? Does the EU now recognise that its policies there have been a failure and its response needs to be reconfigured?

I remember meeting some constituents from Myanmar-Burma celebrating the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in November 2010. They were refugees here and were Muslims who had been persecuted by Buddhists in Burma. I have seen reports that the ethnic conflict there is getting worse in certain regions. Will the Tánaiste confirm we have had programme refugees from there and how many there are? How are we handling this complex issue? There are 136 ethnic minorities in the country, so it is not a plain cakewalk.

I did not hear Cyprus mentioned in the presentation. I am shocked at the silence around Cyprus and Famagusta, a ghost city which is lying mothballed because of the conflict there. What is Europe doing about this issue? Are there discussions on the plight of this city?