Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It have been important to hear the Tánaiste's views and about developments. I agree that it is time that the Security Council did something. It has been seen to be ineffective but it has an international obligation and some of the strong members need to act.

A range of issues have been commented on. I am particularly interested in the refugee camps and the Tánaiste listed the support that is going to the various organisations to those camps. However, the host countries, some of which are not as developed as western countries, are under enormous pressures and it is difficult for them to support the level of refugees that they must deal with. What relations are there with those countries and what discussions are taking place at European level? Those countries need support. I have heard that Greece is one of the countries that has a significant number of refugees, although the number is obviously not as high as it is in Jordan, Lebanon and other nearby countries. Another side to the conflict is that the host countries do not necessarily have the capabilities to deal with what is being asked of them and they need to be supported.