Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim leithscéal leis an Aire mar nach raibh mé anseo ag tús an chruinnithe.

The right to protest is an important human right. In this case, it strikes me that at EU level we need to examine at what stage the protest crosses the threshold to become a coup. Members of this committee were in Cairo at the time of the protests there and we unanimously referred to the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi as a coup. I am concerned that some parameters are needed because the implications of this could be very serious.

It looks as if the withdrawal of Russian troops to barracks is at least a de-escalating step, which is what the EU called for in recent days. If the Russian army had moved into Ukraine, I do not think it would have been prevented from doing so militarily. There would have been a reaction by way of sanctions, however.

In these scenarios, we need to be careful that we are not encouraging people - although I am not saying that that happened - to go further in protests than they should go. In so far as any elected government or president becomes unpopular, that should change through the ballot box.

Given the history of Crimea and its fundamental importance to the Russian fleet for access to the Black Sea, it should have been anticipated that there would be a strong reaction from Russia in the event of its perceived interests being put at risk. I listened to many of the comments made. I read a report that Chancellor Merkel phoned President Putin on Sunday last. I do not know if it was spoken about at the Council meeting, but it appears to have paved the way for some common thread to address this together. There is a Russian interest. There is a very significant Russian population and a Russian-speaking population. There is also the risk and implications of spillover. People have mentioned the Baltic countries and the Caucasus where there are very significant Russian populations. There is a real need for greater engagement with the Russian authorities to ensure we do not get to these kinds of situations which can become flash points. If someone makes a wrong decision, it can be very difficult to retreat. To date, comments from the EU in particular have been helpful and encouraging in terms of resolving the matter through negotiation, which I welcome.

A question was asked about our reliance on Russian oil and gas for our energy needs. That is significant leverage of which Russia will be as aware as us. There is a great deal of trade in both directions and, as such, it could be quite damaging to have an impasse and a regime of sanctions between Russia and Europe. I heard someone mention that Holland exports approximately five times the amount of imports it receives from Russia. It is a very significant economic player. While I am critical of some of the things that have happened in Russia, there is a need to recognise that Russia is a very significant country for Europe's well-being as much as it is for many central Asian and eastern European countries.

I move on to Palestine. The joint committee previously adopted a motion approving a ban on the import of settlement goods into the European Union. We had a report at our meeting last week to the effect that a couple of countries, including Holland, had moved to impose restrictions on importations of settlement goods. I said then that we should explore with the Tánaiste the possibility of Ireland and other member states taking that initiative. It will be very difficult to get unanimity, but if a significant number of countries adopt the initiative, it will become a pressure point and assist with the negotiations which are under way. It is interesting that President Obama is reported as having said in the last couple of days that if there is a failure to reach agreement in the current talks, he sees Israel standing on its own. Presumably, that implies the USA will play its part in endeavouring to ensure that there will be agreement. That is very important as it has not always been the case in respect of American foreign policy.

On 5 February 2014, the EU Parliament consented to EU member states ratifying the arms trade treaty. It is now a matter for the Council of Ministers to make a formal decision. The Minister has been very supportive as has the Government generally and the joint committee. At what stage is the matter within the Council of Ministers and can the decision be expedited? In the context of many of the conflicts we discuss at the joint committee, it is undoubtedly the case that the illegal trade in arms is a very significant contributory factor to the humanitarian issues we see around us.