Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the joint committee I extend a warm welcome to Dr. Thomas Pierret and thank him for appearing before the committee. For many years the members of the committee have observed the situation in Syria as it has continued to deteriorate. For those watching from a distance it seems the situation there is bad and getting worse than when the conflict began more than three years. Sadly, a settlement does not appear any nearer.

The format of the meeting is an address by Dr. Thomas Pierret followed by a question and answer session from the members. If any clarification is required afterwards we will facilitate that. Without further ado I invite Dr. Thomas Pierret to make his presentation. Usually presentations take 15 minutes or thereabouts.